Special Events
by 1358456
Summary: A series of one shots based on Pokémon Special the manga. The pairings will be mostly Gold & Crystal, Ruby & Sapphire, Diamond & Platinum, Green & Blue, and Black & White. No more Silver & Soul or Red & Yellow. Completed!
1. Surprise Gift

**Story based on Pokemon Special, the manga. A warm-up story for the bigger/greater one I have planned.**** This is a collection of one-shots. Some one-shots may be related to others (as in, sequels/prequels, alternates, etc).**

**Here's #1: Surprise Gift.**

**Primary: Gold & Crystal.**

* * *

Surprise Gift:

Gold, along with every other non-Crystal Dex Holder, waited in a giant room of the Berlitz Mansion, waiting for Crystal to arrive. Platinum had invited everyone for a birthday party; Crystal's birthday party. Of course, this was going to be a surprise, so she had invited everyone except Crystal, and two days ago, she told her senior that she needed her help as soon as possible on some research for Professor Rowan. Everyone had already gathered with their gifts and all that was left was the birthday girl to get things started.

"So, what did you get her?" Silver asked Gold as he waited for Crystal to arrive. To his surprise, the boy with the goggles simply shrugged. "I… see. Well, I can tell you that she won't be happy."

"It's Super Serious Gal. She won't be happy with _everything_ I do," Gold replied. "Besides, I… made a deal with someone," he said with a sigh.

Silver raised an eyebrow. "A deal with someone to… not get Crys a present? I just hope that you have a plan to deal with the coming fire."

"We'll see," Gold replied. "Anyways, what did you get-"

"INCOMING!" Pearl hollered.

Surprised, most everyone took cover behind couches and other hiding places. Green remained in his seat, reading the news. The lights were turned off, but he remained in his seat anyways.

Soon, sounds of footsteps could be heard, along with the high-pitched voice of Platinum. Gold, hiding behind two couches, peeked through them. Before long, the door opened and Platinum stepped inside. She made a slight gesture with her hands, telling whoever was watching to wait for 5 seconds. Gold turned to everyone and mouthed the words "five seconds" and received nods.

5…

Crystal soon stepped in and instantly turned the lights on. Before Gold took cover again, he noticed the slight frown on her face, presumably from having to go to Sinnoh on such short notice during her birthday.

4…

Pearl, hasty as always, almost jumped the gun, having counted 5 seconds too fast. Diamond, seeing his friend rise, also tried as well (he thought that he counted too slow). Before they did anything, Ruby and Sapphire tackled them and held them down, all happening behind the couch.

3…

Crystal turned to see why there was a soft 'thump' coming from the couch.

2…

Still sitting, Green hit the side of the couch. Crystal looked at him, wondering why he did that.

1…

"Thought something was moving," he said to Crystal's questioning look.

0.

"And…" he hit the couch twice.

Blue, from behind the couch, signaled everyone to rise. Every Dex Holder, except for Diamond and Pearl (who were mauled) jumped up and shouted surprise. Sapphire, seeing her two juniors still dazed on the floor, grabbed them both by their shirts and yanked them up so that they could see Crystal. They managed a weak surprise. The birthday girl turned to look at Platinum.

"Happy birthday, senior Crystal," said the younger girl with a bright smile.

"How did you know it was my birthday today?" Crystal asked, also smiling brightly. "I don't remember telling you when my birthday was."

"It was senior Go-" Platinum saw Gold in the corner of her eye. He was making cutting gestures with his hand. She understood and cleared her throat. "Excuse me. It was senior Green who informed me of this day."

"Oh. I see," the birthday girl replied, with a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Honestly, I never expected this," she said happily. She turned to look at the other Dex Holders. She could see Diamond and Pearl still in Sapphire's grip and related this to the 'thump' she heard before. "I assume they tried to jump too early," she said with a laugh.

Sapphire glared at the Sinnoh Duo, who nodded apologetically. Crystal laughed some more. Blue led everyone to the large table where everything was set up for a feast.

"So," Green said to Gold, while making sure that Crystal was out of hearing range. "You were the one who planned this."

"Yeah, I guess," the goggled boy replied with a sheepish grin. He looked over at Crystal, who was busy talking with Blue and Yellow. "As long as Super Serious Gal over there doesn't know yet, I'm good."

The feast began soon after. It was essentially all-you-can-eat buffet, as servants of the Berlitz Mansion kept pouring in with high quality dishes. The food was placed on a large table and the Dex Holders could eat what they wanted.

Gold ate about 5 plates worth by the time Crystal finished one. Ruby and Sapphire seemed to be in another bet, as they kept pouring food into their mouths and occasionally glaring at one another. Once everyone finished eating, Platinum took note of how much each Dex Holder ate for future feasts.

Red had eaten 4 plates worth, Green 3, Blue 1, Yellow a half, Gold 6, Silver 3, Crystal 1, Ruby 5, Sapphire 6 ("Ha, I told you I'd win!"), Emerald 1 and a half, Diamond 7, Pearl 2, and herself a half of a plate's worth.

A few minutes later, it became time for the birthday gifts. First up was Diamond, and he presented Crystal a big cake. As always, Crystal noted. Diamond's birthday gift to everyone was always a birthday cake. Not that she minded, because it tasted better than the stuff bakeries sell.

'_Good. He got my age right,_' Crystal thought, counting 17 candles on the cake.

It was decided that the birthday song and the blowing of the candles will occur after all the gifts were given. Much to Gold's surprise, the Pokémon carrying the present boxes were all his. He naturally glared at Silver, but he shrugged and glanced at Blue.

Emerald picked up his gift box and gave it to Crystal. The box contained the Pokéballs of Hoenn (Repeat Ball, Net Ball, Nest Ball, Dive Ball, Timer Ball, etc), 30 of each type. Crystal looked into the box of minimized Pokéballs and spotted a few Safari Balls as well.

"Did you… … _smuggle_ these?" she asked, picking up a Safari Ball.

"Uh… yeah," Emerald replied with a grin.

Crystal shook her head. "Thanks Emerald," she said nonetheless.

Next up was Pearl, who presented her the Pokéballs of Sinnoh (Quick Ball, Dusk Ball, Heal Ball, etc), 20 of each type, and a couple of passes that enable the owners to see the Tower Tycoon battle a challenger.

Next, Platinum gave her a new laptop, much to her surprise. It was the most expensive birthday gift she had ever gotten.

Ruby gave her a new coat (which he didn't make) for usage in Sinnoh, and during the winter in Johto.

Sapphire gave her a box full of rare berries from all over Hoenn (Durin, Liechi, etc). Crystal didn't know how she would use such berries, but gave her thanks anyways.

Blue gave her a new winter hat, a pair of boots, and two pairs of gloves. Crystal looked confused as to why people were giving her winter clothes, when summer was approaching.

Green's birthday 'gift' answered the question. His gift was a Viridian Gym Badge, and a secret spoiler. He signaled her to follow for a second, and leading her away from the group (mostly from Blue), gave her the second part of his gift.

"Pesky girl and Platinum over there have planned an event for your birthday. We'll all be going to Snowpoint City, which is always covered with snow and has frequent blizzards," he whispered, in case anyone tried to eavesdrop. He could still see everyone else, but just in case. Sapphire could still hear him, though.

Crystal understood now. She went to Snowpoint City once before for research purposes, and it was _really_ cold.

"Now, if anyone asks, I just told you that you'll have a couple of reports to work on next week. Remember, I did not tell you that we're going to Snowpoint City. So _be_ surprised."

Next, Yellow gave her a fishing rod and a sketchbook. There really wasn't anything that she could give, so that was as best as she could get.

Crystal frowned when she noticed that three people have yet to give her a gift, and there were two boxes left. There was no way that Silver would've forgotten to get her something, which meant either Red or Gold forgot. She sincerely hoped that it was Red who forgot…

But much to her surprise and horror, it was Red who gave her the next gift. Upon taking Blue's recommendation, he bought her a novel, whose details he had absolutely no clue about. Despite becoming more and more disappointed, Crystal managed to thank her senior for the novel she had always wanted to read.

Next up was Silver. He gave her a video camera that could record videos and take pictures simultaneously. Blue had forced him to write a note that was to be given with the video camera.

"For all your happy and special occasions," Crystal read from the note.

'_Whatever the hell that's supposed to mean,_' Silver thought to himself. He had been threatened to write the note, and he remembered the threat very clearly.

"_Don't try to hide it, Silver. I know about __**her**__. Don't act as if you don't know what I'm talking about; that girl from New Bark Town? That's right. Thanks to an informant, I know where she lives, I know her name, and a __**lot**__ more. I know that you wouldn't like seeing her when __**everyone**__ is around, so if you do what I'm about to tell you, I won't invite her to Crystal's birthday party next week."_

As a result, Silver had no choice but to obey. One of these days, he'll have the upper hand in the endless blackmailing… But it wasn't that day yet.

Crystal also seemed a bit confused at the note, and put it away for future thought. She turned to Gold's direction with obvious disappointment in her expression. Gold was looking down, and for once, he wasn't holding on to that damned billiard cue.

"Is… that everyone?" Crystal asked, unable to prevent her voice from trembling.

Gold suddenly looked up with a grin. "Of course not! You forgot me!" He slowly walked towards her, and passed Emerald while doing so. "Get ready," he whispered to him.

Nodding, the younger boy took the camera that Crystal had just received and prepared to record everything. Blue took out a camera from her purse and tossed it to Silver. He caught it, and after pondering what it would be for, soon understood everything.

'_I bet he was blackmailed too…_'

Gold stood beside Crystal, facing the rest of the Dex Holders. After taking a few deep breaths, he began to address the Dex Holders as a method of partially stalling time.

"My fellow Dex Holders! Namely Silver, seniors Red, Green, _Blue_ (glare), Yellow, and the rest of you!" he started rather full of confidence. "I didn't give Super Serious Gal here a gift yet, but rest assured, I do have a gift! Here, hold this for a sec," he said to Crystal, giving her his hat. He ran a hand through his hair. "And the gift is ri-"

Without warning, he quickly spun around to face Crystal, put his hands on the back of her neck and head, and pulled her close for a kiss. The girl's face simply turned pink and her eyes opened wide in shock before involuntarily closing. Her grip loosened and she dropped Gold's hat.

Silver and Emerald were taking pictures of this event from all sorts of angles while every other Dex Holder looked in awe and surprise.

Crystal felt that she was dreaming… she had been waiting for this moment for so long… All those miserable hours she spent thinking that he would never like her, thinking that he definitely preferred what's-her-name that lives in New Bark Town instead of her… all those hours… seemed to just disappear from her memory.

After what felt like the happiest 10 seconds of her life, the kiss ended as Gold pulled back from her. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the other Dex Holders. Most everyone (except Green, Silver, etc) were clapping and cheering, and Gold was waving to them, smiling and laughing. A thought struck Crystal.

'_Did… did he do that for show?_' Crystal felt her cheeks heat up as she felt extreme embarrassment and humiliation. '_He kissed me just for show and I fell for it… Now what's he going to think of me?_'

The overwhelming sense of disappointment was too much for her to handle, and as a couple of female Dex Holders (Blue and Platinum) noticed and asked her what was wrong, she fainted and collapsed on the floor.

When she woke up, she found herself lying on a couch in a small room, with an ice pack on her forehead. And much to her surprise, she could see Gold (and only Gold) sitting on the floor beside her.

"Sheesh, Super Serious Gal, why'd you faint? Gave us quite a fright there, you know."

"Um… sorry?"

"Anyways, you okay now?"

"Yeah, I… I'm fine," Crystal said as she slowly sat up. Gold remained sitting and looked at her. "What?"

"You don't look okay at all," Gold said. "Come on. What's the matter?"

"It's just…" Crystal hesitated. "Why'd you do that?"

"Huh? Oh, the kiss? I was just told that it's what you do to people special to you."

"I'm sure I'm not the only one who you kissed, right? You're always flirting with girls and all."

"Oh come on. When did I ever flirt?"

Crystal crossed her arms. "From what I heard from Silver and a few others, there were Jasmine, Blue before Silver punched you, that DJ lady, and even Bugsy! And more recently, there's that girl in New Bark Town and a few months ago, Platinum."

"What? I just asked her whether I could buy her dinner. And take a few other Dex Holders too," Gold argued.

"Really? _Come with me and I'll make you happier than you could possibly imagine_? Remember saying that to her?"

Gold laughed. "That was funny, huh? But no harm was done."

"You made her cry, Gold. You scared her. She forgave you and forgot about it now, but you flirted with her. And what about that girl from New Bark? You knew her for years now. It's almost certain that you flirted with her multiple times."

"Who? You mean Soul?" Gold asked, bewildered. "She's just a friend! Don't tell me you're jealous! Why, Super Serious Gal, I never thought that you'd be _jealous_! Can't you and Soul just get along? And besides, you should know that I'm helping her trying to get Silver."

"So what? You're saying that I'm the first one you've ever kissed?"

"Is it really that hard to believe?" Gold asked with a smile. He looked at her for a few seconds before he sighed. "Fine. Well, if you don't like the gift, I guess I'll have to get you another one. Too bad you can't return it for refund or anything."

Crystal smiled as she got off the couch and crouched beside him. "Oh, I can return the gift," she said, before kissing him. "But I'll consider your gift as being given," she said once the kiss ended.

"And you kissed me why?" Gold asked with a grin.

"Isn't it obvious?" Crystal said. "Because I love you."

"Good. Because I love you too. Well then, looks like we know who you'll be taking to the Battle Tower with those tickets Pearl gave you."

"What makes you say that?"

"Who else are you going to take? I'm assuming the challenger would be Emerald, and we'll be going there to watch him. No?"

Crystal smiled. "Yes, you're right. I pick you."

A few minutes later…

All the Dex Holders sat around a table as the Berlitz Mansion's servants delivered slices of cake that Diamond made. Gold sat beside Crystal, holding her hand. Silver, sitting beside Gold as well, noticed the holding of hands. He began to think about the girl that he liked, and sighed in relief to know that she won't be coming here, in front of everyone… or so he hoped. He hoped that he wouldn't be backstabbed.

"Thanks everyone, for this surprise party," Crystal said. "This was the greatest birthday I've ever had."

"You know, I just feel that I should've brought Soul to this," Gold started with a laugh. "She loves these kinds of th-"

Crystal stomped on Gold's left foot. At the same time, Silver stomped on his right foot too.

"So _you're_ the informant!" he hissed.

"We'll see you on her birthday, Silver…" Gold muttered, massaging his sore feet. "It's coming up, and I'm sure you won't want to miss it."

Silver flinched. '_Must I be blackmailed by everyone? Damn._'

"Who's Soul?" Sapphire asked.

Silver's eyes twitched from his junior's cluelessness, and clenched his hands when Blue took advantage.

"Yes, do tell us, who is this Soul?"

"I'll let you all meet her in person," said Gold. "Everyone, come visit me in New Bark T-"

Crystal kicked him in the knee. At the same time, Silver did too.

"… Since the two sitting beside me are constantly kicking me, I won't say any more," Gold said, massaging his knees now.

During the remainder of the party, Crystal moved closer to Gold, leaning on his arm. He blushed and put an arm around her in response. A few Dex Holders laughed. Gold suddenly looked at the end of the table where Emerald was sitting. He was recording the whole thing on the video camera… He used his arm extender to move the camera up close and took a picture as well.

"Emerald!" Gold and Crystal yelled at the same time.

"Just so you know," Emerald said, laughing. "I recorded the whole 'gift returning' thing too. You two never suspected the open windows…"

Gold and Crystal jumped to their feet, but seeing how everyone else were laughing, had no choice but to laugh it off. They looked at each other, glanced at the camera, and smiling, kissed again.

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**Like ****it? No? Leave a review.**

**Next up****: Green & Blue****. I will take recommendations.**


	2. Your Move

**Primary: Green & Blue.**

* * *

Your Move:

Blue watched from behind Silver as he played a game against Gold. The goggled boy was apparently new to the game as he kept looking at the instruction manual while occasionally glancing at the board. He hesitantly moved his elephant away from his side of the board into Silver's, attempting an attack.

Silver instantly countered, moving his horse on an intercept move. Gold cursed as he withdrew, and Silver, taunting, withdrew as well. Deciding to bring out the big guns, Gold moved his vehicle to an attack position. He looked quite confident with his move, from the way he tossed the manual aside.

Blue noted that while the move was good, he didn't defend his king quite well, and she was sure that Silver would take advantage. He did. With a smirk, Silver moved his catapult in a crucial position: in between his pawn and his king, protecting his king from other catapult attacks. Gold didn't see the move Silver had planned, and instead continued with his own attack. He moved his vehicle across the board and took down Silver's horse. Blue estimated that within 3 moves, Gold would be able to take out Silver's king. Assuming he even lasted two more turns.

"Game over, man," Silver said with a smirk. He moved his vehicle, which he had been using to pin down Gold's horse and elephant, and took out a pawn right in front of the king, but also in range of his catapult.

"What the…" Gold stared at the board. Now he saw what Silver was up too, a bit too late though. He moved his king away from the 8-way intersection, to stall time and think of a new move.

"Bad move," Silver said. He moved his vehicle into the 8-way intersection, effectively trapping Gold's king. "Your move, and you have two choices," he said. "Either run away and be taken out by the vehicle in my next turn, or go down swinging. Take out my vehicle with your king and then be taken out by the catapult."

Gold's eyes twitched. He went down swinging. Silver laughed as he cleared the board after winning the game. He made a sign with his hand, signaling Gold to pay up. Grumbling, the goggled boy took his wallet from his pocket and gave Silver some cash.

"Another game?" Silver said, putting the money away in his pocket.

"Damn right."

An hour later…

Silver made the signal with his hand again. Grumbling even more, Gold took his wallet out again and gave him the last of his cash.

"Try again?" Silver suggested.

"I played 10 games with you," Gold replied. "And I lost every single one. I'd like to play again for the sake of revenge, but… I got no money left. You took 10000 PKD from me, but mark my words, Silver. One of these days, I'll beat you in this and take my money back…"

"Any time you're ready."

"Very good, Silver," Blue said. She gave him a pat on the back. "What are you going to do with his money?"

Silver shrugged. "With Gold's 10000 PKD and the money in my wallet, that's a total of 12500 PKD. Maybe I'll buy a new pair of gloves? Maybe I'll buy Soul a dinner. She's been nagging at me to do that for quite some time. The dinner would probably cost around 3000 PKD, but if she wants to go _clothes shopping_, then that would probably cost me 40000 PKD more… She'll nag at me forever if I don't comply. Seriously… sometimes, she acts like a mix of you and Gold."

Blue grinned. "Take good care of her, Silver."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Silver rose to his feet and then handed the board and all of its game pieces to Platinum, who had been waiting since the middle of the ninth game. Blue walked over to her now, and watched her play a game against Emerald. It was her first time, and Emerald explained on the basics of how to play. Diamond and Pearl watched from the side and cheered for the girl.

In the first game, Emerald won. Blue noted that he spent time fortifying his side of the board while letting Platinum attack. It was her first time, so he was taking it easy on her. But in the second game, Platinum won. She got the hang of the game a little too quickly and instantly managed to master a couple of good attack patterns. Emerald grumbled about having to teach her the basics in one game and then be beaten by her in the next. Platinum had been studying her senior's expression and predicting what he would do next. And with the prediction, she would plan her next move carefully. As a result, Emerald lost the next game too. After the game, he gave her a thumbs up and walked away to do something else in the Dex Holder picnic (Blue's idea) in Mt. Moon Square.

In the pond area, Yellow sat by the water and sketched something in her sketchbook while her fishing rod was in the water. Blue walked up to her and noticed that she was sketching a picture of Red, who was sleeping in the shade of a tree.

Green, sitting on a rock near the water, was busy writing something on a sheet of paper. A research topic, really. Mt. Moon Square was known to have Clefairies appearing on Monday nights. The research topic was why. Were there particularly large amounts of Moon Stones underground here? But then why just on Mondays, and at night? Green wrote the ideas down for future thought.

Blue glanced at the other Dex Holders. Gold and Emerald were planning a prank on Crystal, who was talking to Platinum while watching the comedy act of Diamond and Pearl. Ruby and Sapphire were busy playing a card game, but for some reason, the boy kept an ice pack over his eye. The explanation was that he said "hit me" during the card game, telling the dealer (Silver) to give him another card and Sapphire gave him a punch to the face ("You said 'hit me'!").

Blue noticed that every Dex Holder was occupied in doing something, leaving the game board all to herself. A thought arose, and she went over to Green.

"Hey Green, let's play a game," she said, carrying the folded board and all of its pieces.

"No, I'm busy," he replied after taking one glance at the board.

"Come on, Green. This is a _picnic_. It was designed to take you away from work."

"Then you should've left me back home."

"Hey, all the other research assistants are enjoying themselves. Look, Crystal, Emerald, Platinum, and even Sapphire, really. They're all playing and _not working_."

"I have to set a good example for the rest of them. A good researcher always does work."

Blue narrowed her eyes, thinking what to say to lure him. Suddenly, she heard a short shriek as Gold and Emerald managed to get Crystal to fall into the pond. A thought arose…

"Fine then. Looks like I'll just have to spend my time by thinking of how I'll annoy you more and more." As soon as she finished, she snatched the pen away from Green's hand.

He tried to take the pen back, but then she put it into her shirt. Green sighed as he returned his focus back to his research papers. He pulled out another pen from his pocket and resumed writing.

"A good researcher always comes prepared."

Blue sighed as she fished the pen out and put it on the top of his head. Green took the pen off of his head and put it in his pocket. Without warning, she snatched his research papers away.

"… Pesky girl…" he muttered.

"Oh come on. All I'm asking for is one game. If you win, I won't bother you for the rest of this picnic."

"And if I lose?" he asked suspiciously.

"You'll have to buy me lunch and dinner tomorrow."

Green stared at her for a few seconds before he fished out a notepad from his pocket and resumed his research notes.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" she stomped over to the pond, grabbed an empty pitcher (used during lunch), filled it with water and stomped back to him.

Green looked up from his notepad and saw Blue about to pour the pitcher's contents all over him.

"Your move, Green," she said. "If you don't want to play, then fine. I'll just drench you and whatever else is in that pocket of yours. Of course, I'll soak your research notes too. I just hope they're waterproof."

"Fine. You win. Let's get this damn game over with. But if I win, you have to return the things you stole from me, and you will _not_ pour water all over me."

Smiling, Blue put the pitcher down on the ground, which then Gold promptly picked up and poured it on Crystal, who was chasing him.

A minute later, Blue and Green set up the game board while every other Dex Holder watched from beside.

For over an hour, they played, but still haven't managed to take out a single piece. Blue noted that she could not penetrate Green's side's iron-hard defenses. She made various lures and traps within her side, waiting for Green to attack, but he never did. She noticed that Platinum was looking at the arrangements carefully, studying them. Finally, Blue made a decision. During her turns, she moved all of her pieces to an attack pattern. A frontal assault wasn't her tactic, but Green left her no choice.

One at a time, she moved all 5 of her pawns, some forward, some sideways to form a wall. Right behind the wall were her vehicles, ready to punch through. While she did so, Green moved his elephants to either side of the board, ready to strike at Blue's attack pattern from the sides.

Everyone watched with interest as the two continued their game, watching as Blue used every trick and attack pattern she could think of, and as Green's formation shifted to adjust accordingly.

'_A stalemate…_' Blue thought to herself. '_If I choose an all-out attack, he'd win for sure… But if he were to attack, I'd win for sure… Damn, this is not going the way I planned…_'

"If this continues," Green said. "Then no one will win. Since you're in the attacking position, why don't you make a move? I've got nothing to lose."

Blue slightly adjusted the position of one of her pawns, so that her vehicle was in the same line as Green's king, assuming that there wasn't a well-protected pawn right in front. "So, Green… It's your move. But what will you do? It's obvious that if I attack, you'll win, and if you attack, then I'll win. So what now? I make a move and you move away. Will you continue this stalemate forever?"

"Implying something, are we?" Green said. "Tell you what, return my stuff and then I'll make my move."

Blue smiled. "As you wish." She took the research notes (which she had been sitting on) and handed it back to him.

Green sighed as he brushed the dirt off of his sheets and folded them neatly before putting it in his pocket. In his turn, he moved the pawn positioned right in front of his king to the side, leaving a path for Blue's vehicle to attack his king directly. Blue laughed as she moved her vehicle to take out the king, winning the game in the process. The other Dex Holders simply watched in shock at the simple ending to a possibly intense game. Green rose to his feet.

"I'll pick you up at noon tomorrow," he said as he walked away.

"I'll be waiting."

* * *

**It's short. Hopefully the others won't be.**

**Note: If you know what board game that's in this one shot, then good for you. If not, then, no problem. Although I may have changed the names of individual piece slightly, from the description, it's not entirely impossible to figure out what game I'm talking about.**

**Next up: Ruby & Sapphire.**** A****s always,**** reviews and**** suggestions are appreciated.**


	3. Memory Loss

**I've been notified that Crystal and Soul are the same person. Thanks for letting me know, but this was a fact that I was already very, very, very x100 well aware of. I am also aware that before Crystal appeared in the new outfit (blame her crazy mother for that attire), there were arguments of picking Crystal over Soul and vice versa. I, for one, think that it may have been better if both were present. Why pick one over the other instead of picking both? There's no reason for Soul to not exist because Crystal exists. Which was why I made Gold say "Can't you and Soul just get along?" in Surprise Gift.**

**But thanks for letting me know, and by all means, point out places where you'd like clarification/explanation, and any and all existing flaws that you'd like fixed, and I will explain them or fix them during the next update.**

**Primary: Ruby & Sapphire.**

* * *

Memory Loss:

"Blast Burn!"

A Blaziken jumped into the air and thrust its arms forward, shooting powerful flames from its wrists. The girl behind the Blaziken, Sapphire, quickly ducked to avoid an attack from behind. Realizing that the attack was a Sludge Bomb, she jumped and hid behind her Aggron.

"Iron Defense," she ordered.

The immunity to Poison served well and Sapphire intended to use that time to heighten her Aggron's defense. Once the smoke from the attack cleared, she glanced around to look at her attackers. Sapphire was supposed to head to Slateport City where two other Dex Holders were waiting, but on the way, a bunch of muggers attacked. They were aiming to kidnap her in order to get something from Prof. Birch. But they had underestimated her, and what was supposed to be a quick and silent kidnapping has turned into a fierce battle… and they were losing.

But Sapphire was also getting tired and she was outnumbered by quite a bit. While the entire gang of muggers was distracted, she had sent her Tropius to Slateport to get help from the other Dex Holders. She now just had to wait and try to defeat as much enemies as possible. Another wave of Pokémon was defeated by Blaziken and Aggron. Sapphire's two Pokémon continued to attack the remaining enemy.

"Boss, we're going to lose if you don't do something!" one of the muggers yelled.

Sapphire suddenly heard a Pokéball opening from behind and turned to prepare for another enemy. But upon seeing the Pokémon, she gasped in shock and started to tremble… She was looking at her worst nightmare… Salamence. Scenes from that dreaded event many years ago started to flash in her mind… getting attacked by Salamence, watching Ruby fight it… watching him get hit by a Dragon Claw in the process…

Sapphire tried to focus on the ensuing battle but couldn't. Noticing her distraction, the muggers' boss attacked first. Sapphire couldn't hear the order the boss gave, as she was still in shock and fear. She gasped again when the Salamence roared loudly and flew towards her, preparing to use Dragon Claw. Sapphire dodged the attack just in time, but instead of swiftly jumping out of the way like usual, she simply dropped to the ground, using her arms to protect her head. Suddenly, she heard a thud and felt the ground shake. Still trembling, she looked up and saw Salamence looking straight at her…

She backed away slightly at the intimidating glare…

"_Look, I've chased away the Salamence!"_

"… _Scary… so scary…"_

'_Scary…_' Sapphire looked up at the Salamence; she never felt this scared before… But she suddenly remembered her vow after the first Salamence event… '_I must get stronger… I must learn to protect myself and others…_' She clenched her hand into a fist as determination ran through her veins. '_… Yes… I can beat this… I can win…_'

Sapphire quickly got back up to her feet. Seeing the fast movement, the Salamence roared loudly. Surprised, Sapphire covered her ears to minimize the effect of the loud roar. Taking this time, the Salamence lunged forward with another Dragon Claw. Sapphire tried to back away, but she was too close to the attack. Even as she jumped backwards, the Dragon Claw hit her in the stomach, tearing through the outfit Ruby made for her and leaving a deep wound.

She screamed and started to stagger backwards, her arms wrapped around her stomach. Her Blaziken and Aggron heard her scream and both quickly ran towards her. Sapphire dropped to her knees and gasped for air as Salamence prepared another attack. Before the Blaziken and Aggron could get to their trainer, the Salamence had hit Sapphire on the head with an Iron Tail, knocking her out cold. Her Pokémon froze in their tracks as she simply dropped to her side.

"Make sure she's not dead," the boss said.

One of the muggers quickly ran towards her and checked her pulse. "She's still alive."

"Good," the boss said. "Take her, and deal with those two," he said, pointing at Blaziken and Aggron. The two Pokémon glared at him and prepared to fight on their own…

Meanwhile, Crystal paced around the Slateport City's Pokémon Center, waiting for Sapphire to arrive. She was given a task to explore around Hoenn and document various natures and characteristics of the wild Pokémon. Of course, she couldn't do it alone, so she needed Sapphire to guide her around, as the guide herself was experienced in studying Pokémon habitats. And, to ensure that nothing bad happened, Gold had to tag along…

Crystal sighed… she'd rather work with Emerald than Gold… she had enough of his complaining already. But unfortunately, Prof. Oak had already sent Emerald on another mission. Crystal had tried to ask for a different Dex Holder to work with, but conveniently, none were available.

Red was always missing, Green too, was always missing despite his Gym Leader work, Blue was with her parents, Yellow was somewhere in the Viridian Forest, and Silver was also missing, most likely somewhere in Johto. Meaning, the only Dex Holder available and accessible for help was Gold, who wasn't doing anything in particular, as always.

After another sigh, Crystal left the Pokémon Center to look for Gold. Instead of simply waiting, he had decided to head to the farmer's market to try some of the food there. As expected, she found him near a food stall, and also as expected, he bought a bunch of different food for himself, without even offering her any. She wasn't going to eat, but she would appreciate an offer…

"Hey, Super Serious Gal," Gold said, noticing Crystal. "Did she arrive yet?"

"No… … did you buy all this food just for yourself?"

"Well… yeah," Gold replied. Noticing Crystal grumbling, he swallowed the food in his mouth and tried to be as serious as he could. "Do you want some?"

"Of course I don't. I don't like to eat random food all day long."

"I figured you'd say that," Gold said with a smirk. "So then why are you complaining?"

"I'd appreciate the offer."

"Well, I offered some only to be rejected. Happy now?"

Crystal was about to reply to the last comment when she saw a Tropius quickly flying towards her. She recognized it as Sapphire's.

"Finally… Gold, she's here."

Crystal crossed her arms and waited for the Tropius to land. She was going to give her junior a hard time for not being punctual. But to her surprise, the Tropius didn't land. More surprisingly, there was no one on the Pokémon… and it seemed to be in a big hurry.

"Hey Gold, something's wrong with Sapphire's Tropius," she said in a slightly alarmed tone.

Gold looked up, and upon seeing the Pokémon expression, he quickly put all the food in his bag and stood up.

"It wants us to follow," he said. "Something must've happened to Wildchild Girl. Let's go, Crys."

Crystal quickly sent out her Xatu and flew up. Gold sent out his Mantine and using Remoraids' Water Gun, propelled himself forward and followed Tropius. A minute later, Gold and Crystal arrived where they could see Sapphire's Blaziken and Aggron still fighting. They seemed to be protecting something, and upon closer look, Gold and Crystal could see that they were protecting Sapphire, who lay unconscious.

Once they were close enough to the ground, Gold and Crystal jumped off and ran towards Sapphire's Pokémon to help them. Blaziken and Aggron relaxed a little, recognizing them as friends.

Gold sent out his Typhlosion and prepared to fight. Crystal sent out her Meganium and quickly checked on Sapphire's condition.

"Gold, can you take care of them? Sapphire needs help," Crystal said, noticing the big wound on her junior's stomach.

"No problem. Alright then, let's see Blast Burn and Frenzy Plant!" Gold yelled, pointing at the gang of muggers with his billiard cue.

The muggers quickly scattered from the attacks and sensing that they were no match, started to run away.

"They're getting away! Don't let them escape!" Crystal yelled.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, Super Serious Gal."

Gold sent out his Mantine again and flew towards the direction where the muggers ran away, with Typhlosion and Meganium following. Crystal carefully lifted Sapphire onto the Tropius and headed to the nearest hospital as fast as possible.

Next day, Sootopolis City…

"Good, Ruby. You're becoming better and better," said Wallace, looking at his disciple practice. "Now, let's see your practice for the Cool segment."

"Yes, Master! Alright then, let's…" Ruby trailed off when something vibrated in his pocket. "Excuse me, Master, my Pokégear is ringing."

"Very well then. Let's take a short break."

Ruby put the Pokégear up to his ear. "Hello, you've reached Ruby. If you see me in a Contest, remember to vote for me! VOTE RUBY!"

"Cut the crap, Fashion Boy," came Gold's voice on the other line. "Your girl's been attacked by a bunch of muggers and their Salamence. She's still not awake, so get your ass over to… …" he trailed off for a moment. "Yo, Super Serious Gal, where are we? … … Ah, right. Yo, Fashion Boy? Go to Mauville Hospital right now."

"Wait, who do you mean by _my girl_? You don't mean Sapphire, do you?"

"Yes, her. So get over here on the double!"

Ruby turned to look at Wallace. "Master… a senior Dex Holder just told me that Sapphire had been attacked… I have to get to her right now. She's in Mauville Hospital…"

Wallace nodded. "Alright. Training is over for today. Let's go to Mauville." He jumped into his air car and started it up as his disciple hopped into the side seat. "As a question… is that how you answer all your calls? _Vote Ruby_?"

"Well… yes. More voters the better."

Few hours later, Mauville Hospital…

Ruby barged into Sapphire's room in the hospital. All the other Dex Holders were there, and Sapphire was still lying on the bed with bandage wrapped around her head. From the sound of the door breaking open, Sapphire woke up.

"Hey, you're awake? Are you okay?" Ruby asked, approaching the bed.

To his surprise, she looked at him curiously. "Who are you?"

"Very funny, Sapphire," Ruby said. "But how are you doing?"

"How do you know my name?" Sapphire asked. She tried to sit up and winced in pain coming from her stomach and head. "What did you do to me?"

"Please try to relax," came a voice.

Sapphire looked up and saw a younger girl looking at her with a worried expression. The younger girl had dark blue hair and a mix of gold and silver as eye color. She had a long red scarf, and from her elegant looking attire overall, seemed quite… 'important'…

As quickly as she could, Sapphire kicked out of her bed and grabbed the younger girl as hostage. "Stay away from me!" she yelled, with her arms wrapped around the younger girl's throat. "Who are you, and what do you want? You attacked me, didn't you?"

"Sapphire, calm down!" Ruby yelled, slowly approaching her. He had his hands open to show that he meant no harm. He looked at the other Dex Holders for help.

"You need to see if you can make her remember you," Blue suggested.

Ruby thought for a second. "We first met 10 years ago, in Johto. My dad was there for a Gym Leader qualification test, and your father was there to watch. And…" he sighed and he removed his hat, revealing the mark left by Salamence's Dragon Claw all those years ago. "A Salamence attacked us, and I got this scar trying to protect you…"

Sapphire didn't seem convinced. She kept choking the younger girl but kept her eyes on Ruby.

"I think… it is working…" the younger girl gasped out. "Keep… trying… senior…"

"You have to say something that she would always remember. You know, something… special that she would never forget, I suppose…" Blue said.

'_Something that she wouldn't forget…_' Ruby thought to himself. "Uh… we helped stop the rampage of Groudon and Kyogre," he said. "And… we fought against Archie and Maxie together."

Still nothing.

'_Damn… Looks like there's only one thing left…_' "In Mirage Island," he started slowly. "Before we returned to the outside world, you said that you liked me…"

Sapphire's grip loosened, and the younger girl gasped for air.

Ruby could see that it was working so he continued. "And… once we did return, I pushed you off of your Tropius and locked you in Master's air car because I didn't want you to be involved in the dangerous final fight, and I said that I liked you too."

"Is… is that true?" Sapphire asked.

"Yes. Yes, it's true. And I do like you."

Ruby sighed and looked at Sapphire. To his surprise, she was… _smirking_?

"Ha! So you _do_ remember!" she yelled, letting go of Platinum.

To Ruby's greater surprise, Platinum looked perfectly fine, as if the whole choking thing was…

'_Oh…_' "This whole thing was a ploy?" he yelled.

"The part of me losing my memory? Yes. Again, you _do_ remember what happened in Mirage Island! I have witnesses this time!"

Ruby looked at the other Dex Holders.

"You fell for it. She got you," Gold said with a laugh.

Ruby looked back and forth between Sapphire and the other Dex Holders for a few seconds. Without warning, he bolted out of the room through the broken door, running as fast as he could. He made a note to himself to never trust Sapphire again…

"Damn… I should've blocked the doorway…" Sapphire muttered. "At least I have witnesses."

"And this whole conversation has been recorded," Blue said, with a Memory Firelighter in her hand. "Something I stole from him a few days ago," she said, tossing her junior the item.

Sapphire laughed as she caught the firelighter and put it in her bag. She climbed back onto the bed and relaxed, as her injuries were still hurting.

"He ran away, so what now?" Platinum asked.

"Where's he going to go? He'll be back. Besides, I know where he lives, and if he's training, then through Coach, I can find out where his Master is as well. He won't be able to escape it _this_ time," Sapphire replied. "Sorry for choking you too hard, though."

"It was nothing, senior. But… you do need to relax, still."

"I'll be fine," Sapphire said. "Now that I know that he still likes me, I'll be fine…"

Two days later…

Sapphire arrived in Littleroot Town. Her injuries have healed enough that she could now return to her regular activities. After visiting home and ensuring her father that she was perfectly fine, she went over to Ruby's house. But he wasn't home, and his mother had no idea where he was either.

But lucky for Sapphire, she could see Ruby returning home from Route 101. She ran up to him, and he waved at her.

"Hi, it's been a while," he said with a smile.

Sapphire stopped right in front of him. "So, you _do_ remember?" she asked with a smile of her own.

"Hm? Remember what?" Ruby asked.

"What you said at the hospital? And more importantly, what you said to me upon leaving Mirage Island?" Sapphire said, crossing her arms.

"Oh, that. You know, while training yesterday," Ruby started with an apologetic look. "I was running and I accidentally hit my head on a tree branch. Because of that, I can't remember a few things. Things like… what happened two days ago, and where I put my Memory Firelighter…"

"Really?" Sapphire said with a laugh. "Then perhaps this will help you remember."

She reached into her bag and pulled out the Memory Firelighter. After looking at it for a few seconds, she activated it and looked at Ruby.

"… _Hey, you're awake? Are you okay?_" came Ruby's voice from the Firelighter.

Ruby looked back and forth between his Firelighter and Sapphire, realizing that someone had stolen his Firelighter and used it to record everything in the hospital… As fast as he could, he tried to snatch the Firelighter away, but Sapphire wasn't going to let that happen. She pulled her hand back and smiled.

'_Now… what can you do, Ruby? I have hard evidence,_' she thought to herself.

'_There's only one way out of this,_' Ruby thought, as if he heard Sapphire's thoughts.

He ran. He activated his Running Shoes and bolted away as fast as he could. Sapphire, gritting her teeth, chased after him with all her might, but there was no way she could catch up.

"You can't run forever!" she yelled. "One of these days, Ruby!"

After a minute, Sapphire stopped. She put a hand on her stomach and looked at the direction in which Ruby ran.

"But I know you like me…" she muttered. "And that's enough for now…"

With a satisfied smile, she returned home, reactivating the Memory Firelighter and listening to the events at the hospital once more.

* * *

**Next up: Diamond & Platinum. Again, reviews and suggestions are appreciated.**


	4. Nightmare

**Primary: Diamond & Platinum.**

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Nightmare:

_Diamond sat in a chair in the waiting room of the Berlitz Mansion, waiting. It was 5 pm, the time he promised to take Platinum out for a date. The plan was simple: he would first take her to south of Sandgem Town, towards the ocean specifically. They would take a walk along the cliff, looking into the ocean as the sun would start to set. The sunlight would glisten in a golden hue off the incoming waves, which was guaranteed to be beautiful. Then he would take her somewhere to eat dinner, and then he'd take her to Lake Verity. This time, the reflected moonlight would sparkle on the calm lake water, and it would hopefully create a different mood. From his experience, Diamond had learned that Platinum liked such things._

_He was sure that ever since he started to date her about… two years ago, she was wondering when he would do something classic and romantic as taking her to watch the sunset on a cliff. Diamond would have taken her out for that a lot sooner, if he had thought about it. In fact, he wouldn't have thought about it if his seniors didn't suggest the idea; a secret, never to be told to Platinum._

_He took a deep breath. The day wasn't going to be hard. Although he took the girl out countless times, he was nervous as always._

"_Ah, Diamond, I am sorry to keep you waiting," came Platinum's cheerful voice from behind. Diamond turned to face her. She had her old/classic casual clothes, better known as her adventure attire. Nothing too fancy… perfect for Diamond. "I am ready to go."_

_He held out his hand, and she took it without the slightest hesitation. She wrapped an arm around his and carrying her purse in the other, followed him out of her mansion, thus starting the date. This time, however, things were a bit more complicated… Due to some tension that Diamond didn't know about, and the fact that the scheduled time of return was near 11 pm, Sir Berlitz had agreed to let Platinum go with him, under one condition: two of the most highly trained guards from the mansion had to follow._

_These guards, Platinum explained, were hired/recruited because of the harsh experiences the entire family went through when Sir Berlitz was ambushed and ransom had to be paid to release Platinum from being 'captive' from Team Galactic. Although luckily Diamond and Pearl were there to protect Platinum, Sir Berlitz reasoned that they couldn't be there all the time and hired specially trained bodyguards._

_With these guards, Platinum would be safe from whatever danger her father believed was out there, but they sure made the mood of the date awkward. In silence, Diamond and Platinum headed south, both occasionally glancing back at the two guards silently following. Diamond noticed Platinum's discomfort and a frown marring her beautiful face. 10 minutes later, as if an idea suddenly popped in her mind, a smile formed on her lips. She let go of Diamond's arm, which she had been hugging, and pretended to shiver. She turned to her guards, while rubbing her arms with her hands._

"_Would one of you go get my coat? It is in my room on the third floor, I believe."_

_The two guards glanced at each other before one nodded. Although it was posed as a question, their mistress had just given them an order. The one who nodded turned around and ran back towards the mansion. Now with one guard, Platinum hugged Diamond's arm again and continued to walk. About a minute later, she turned to the remaining guard._

"_Could you scout ahead and see if there is a suitable restaurant where Diamond and I will be able to eat dinner?"_

_The guard hesitated, unwilling to leave her unprotected. Sir Berlitz had given him orders to protect and watch over Platinum, but he had now just received an order from her to go find a restaurant. For a brief moment, the guard thought of what he should do. Since Sir Berlitz had assigned him to watch over Platinum, he figured that a part of the duty was to make her feel comfortable, and thereby follow her orders as long as it didn't directly conflict with his outstanding order. Soon the guard left to find a suitable restaurant, like he was ordered to._

_As soon as the guard was out of his sight, Diamond felt Platinum pull his arm and run. He understood what she was trying to do and followed her. About 5 minutes later, he caught up with her, who had stopped and waited for him. She was smiling and started to laugh as he came closer. She had a really beautiful smile and she was very cute when she laughed. When he was close enough, Platinum reached forward and kissed him on the cheek._

"_We are finally alone, Diamond," she said, returning to her position on his left and latching onto his arm again. Since he was out of breath from the running, he could only nod in agreement._

_After a minute of walking, Diamond looked at Platinum. She looked very happy. Seeing her happy made him happy. With his free right hand, he pointed ahead._

"_I think we'll be able to get a good view of the sunset over there."_

"_Over there?" Platinum asked, pointing to a small hill near the cliff with her left hand. "That would be very n… Ah!" she trailed off, ending with a sudden pained yelp._

_Surprised, Diamond looked at her. She also seemed very surprised as she let go of his arm and put her right hand onto her left side. Diamond was very shocked when he saw blood on her fingertips as she pulled her hand back. She slowly turned around and looked behind. He turned as well when he heard her gasp._

_There was someone standing roughly 20 meters behind them, with a silenced gun in his hand… before either Diamond or Platinum could react, the weapon was fired. The first shot had missed slightly, and it had grazed Platinum's left side. But this shot had hit her just below the rib cage._

_Everything seemed to go slow for Diamond. Everything started to slow down the moment the second shot was fired. But the shock and fear had left him immobilized, and he found himself unable to do anything but watch Platinum twitch a bit as the bullet tore its way into her body._

_Platinum dropped her purse, which dropped towards the ground along with large drops of blood. Her hands reached up towards her bleeding wound. Before the purse even hit the ground, the weapon was fired again. This time, the shot hit her right shoulder, and she staggered backwards. Diamond snapped out of his trance and caught Platinum in his arms as she fell._

_While gasping for air, she looked into his eyes. He held her bloody hand but didn't know what else to do. Just as Platinum was about to say something, a __**fourth**__ shot was fired, and this one hit her right beside her heart. She winced and tried to scream as blood spurted from the bullet wound. But the only thing that came from her mouth was a mist of blood, not a scream or any sound at all. She had an expression of indescribable pain, which soon disappeared as her arms lifelessly fell to her side…_

Diamond snapped awake and opened his eyes. He had that terrible nightmare again. He had the same nightmare countless of times. Just when he convinced himself that it was nothing more than a dream, he had it again. He had the nightmare so much that he was certain that he had memorized everything about it, even to the most trivial details. Such as how many strands of hair was on her face when she smiled at him after evading the guards, how many times faster his heart beat when she hugged his arm, exactly how many steps he had taken before everything started to go wrong.

Unfortunately for Diamond, the more horrible part of the nightmare kept on replaying in his mind over and over. He had memorized everything… no matter how hard he tried to forget about them, the memories of the nightmare came back. He could even _draw_ what happened with perfect accuracy…

Diamond forced his mind away from the memory of the awful scene. He had been covered in blood… not his blood, or some random person's, but Platinum's… blood of his girlfriend… the girl he loved ever since he first saw her. And that was a degree worse than being drenched in his own blood. But it was just a nightmare… just a nightmare; nothing more. This nightmare-phenomenon would eventually end…

He wanted to visit Platinum. After having these nightmares, he felt it important to see her again, to ensure that nothing had happened. Just a nightmare, so nothing would have happened, right?

But no matter how much he wanted to visit her, he knew that he couldn't. He knew that with as much certainty as his answer to his question. He couldn't visit her right now because he hadn't talked to Platinum in a long time, ever since… ever since the hired gun had tried to kill her… and succeeded…

Diamond remembered the answer to his question. Something did happen. There was a reason why he kept having these nightmares over and over… because that was no nightmare. It was an actual event that happened two years ago… the day when Platinum Berlitz was killed; murdered, for some political/economical/whatever reason that he did not know about.

He took a deep breath and looked around, trying to remember where he was. He was sitting in a shade created by a large tree, leaning against an upright rock.

'_No, not a rock,_' he corrected himself.

He stood up and looked at the 'rock' he was leaning on. It was a tombstone, actually… belonging to Platinum Berlitz. She was buried in the large open field/back garden of her mansion, along with some of her ancestors. Only a few people were allowed into the burial grounds, and as Platinum's 'ex'-boyfriend, Diamond was one of the few. Looking at his 'ex'-girlfriend's grave, he couldn't help but relive her dying moments once more…

_The moment Platinum fell motionless, her two guards had returned. The one who was sent to find a restaurant charged at the hired gun while the other ran towards his mistress to check on her condition. The hired gun was reloading when the guard struck, and before long, he was captured. Diamond snapped out of his trance once more when the other guard shook him._

_The guard had used Platinum's coat as a makeshift bandage, to try to slow the bleeding. Once the coat had been wrapped around her chest and the hired gun was well tied up, Diamond carefully lifted his girlfriend onto his back and ran as fast as he could towards the nearest hospital. One of the guards led the way and the other returned to the mansion with his prisoner._

_As Diamond ran, Platinum's arms dangled lifelessly in front of him. Her head rested against his, and dark blood was trickling from her mouth. The blood started to drip onto his vest. He ran even faster. At this rate, Platinum would certainly die from blood loss, assuming she wasn't killed yet. He couldn't help but feel warmth in his back as yet more blood spilled from the wound in his girlfriend's stomach._

_Two hours after being shot, Platinum's injuries have been fully treated and tightly bandaged. The doctors have removed the bullets that were still lodged in the girl's body and gave her the best treatment money could buy. It was a miracle that Platinum had survived the shots and made it to the hospital. But she had lost too much blood and was in shock. Her internal organs have taken too much damage as well… she was going to die._

_11 pm…_

_It had been 4 hours since the treatment was completed. Diamond watched sorrowfully as Platinum slept painfully. She needed a respirator to breathe and other various life support systems. Diamond looked at her heart monitor. Her heartbeats were weak and slow._

_The Berlitz family had scattered to contact various doctors and nurses to see if anything could be done to try to save the girl, leaving Diamond all alone with her. He didn't know who would try to kill her. What did she ever do?_

_All he knew was that a complete moron had been chosen for the murder. The idiot chose to try to kill Platinum in a __**wide open area, too close to the target**__ and was __**captured**__ before he could escape. It would only be a matter of time before he found out why the moron had been sent to kill his girlfriend… but he didn't want to know. He knew that whatever the reason was, it wouldn't justify killing her, and it would certainly make him sick._

_Suddenly, there was a spike in the heart monitor. Hope rising, Diamond looked. Platinum's heart had started to beat faster, but it was still horribly weak. He looked over at the respirator. Platinum was breathing faster, but were taking shallow breaths. So shallow that it hardly counted as a breath. It was more of a gasp… Much to his surprise, her eyes slowly opened. Her head turned a bit and she looked at him. Diamond's heart sank as he realized that her death was imminent._

"_Lady…" he started, tears welling in his eyes._

_He noticed something. Platinum's left hand was moving. At first, he thought she was twitching, but he saw that there was a pattern in the movement._

_A writing… she was writing something on the bed. Diamond quickly scanned the room and retrieved a sheet of paper and a pen. He showed them to her, asking if she wanted to write something. He could see a very faint shaking of her head. She had no energy to lift up a pen… she could barely move… Even if she could lift the pen, she wouldn't be able to exert enough force to actually write something._

_Diamond nodded and he prepared to write. Platinum managed to move her left hand's index finger slightly on her bed to write a letter. Diamond saw the movement and wrote the letter. He asked for clarification as he went along, to ensure that he received her last message._

"_Two B's?" he asked. He detected a faint nod. He let her continue writing on the bed._

_After a couple of minutes, the message was complete. Diamond frowned as he read it; he didn't understand… "TYFEDIRHFSTWYBBWPWFIWLTTYTILY" Perhaps he had to rearrange the letters? But then… what was the point of that? Perhaps it was a password to something? No, no…_

_Afraid that that he wrote the message wrong, he hesitantly showed what he wrote to Platinum. But to his surprise, she managed a faint nod. She wrote something again… the last three letters of the incomprehensible message. Diamond wrote them. Was this an acronym? If so, then this was one long message. It was probably very important, so he vowed to figure it out._

_He looked into Platinum's barely open eyes. As tears fell from his eyes, her lips formed a very faint and weak smile. Diamond put the pen and paper away and grabbed her left hand… it was very cold. Her eyes slowly closed and tears fell from them as well. Her heartbeats were becoming MUCH weaker…_

"_No… no, you can't die…" Diamond started._

_He saw Platinum struggling as she managed to open her eyes again… just barely. She desperately tried to reach her respirator's mask. Diamond was still holding on to her hand, and noticing her trying to move, let go of it. He could see that she was looking at her respirator's mask._

"_Do you… want to remove it?" he asked. He saw a faint nod. "But… you'll die!"_

_She looked at him sadly. Having spent so long with her, he could somewhat read her thoughts just by looking into her eyes. He could see that she knew her death was unavoidable._

_He did as she wished. He took the respirator mask off. Platinum's heartbeats became even weaker. But she smiled faintly and looked at him longingly. He noticed that she was looking back and forth between his eyes and his mouth, and soon knew what she wanted._

"_One last kiss…"_

_Diamond could see Platinum's faint nod. He was on the verge of crying, and he could see that she was too. Again, he did as she wanted. He gently pulled her closer, and after brushing off a few tears from her cheeks, kissed her, one last time. He had his eyes open for a few seconds, and during that time, he could see her looking into his eyes before her eyes closed. The message she was trying to say was clear this time._

"_Thank you… and good bye, Diamond…"_

_Diamond closed his eyes as more tears fell. He didn't want this moment to end… he wanted her to live, and be happy… But before the kiss ended, Platinum's heart monitor flat lined. Diamond pulled back and looked at the heart monitor. Surprised, he looked at Platinum. Her eyes were closed and she was perfectly motionless…_

"_Lady, no! You can't die! I love you too much!" Diamond yelled desperately, bursting into tears._

_But it was too late. Just like that, she was gone… She had woken up and passed away so quickly, as if she had resisted the inevitable death and woken up just so she could deliver her last message._

Diamond sighed as he wiped away the forming tears. He looked up at the sky and sighed again. Words couldn't describe how much he missed Platinum. Her sweet voice, beautiful smile, caring nature, et cetera, et cetera… He felt ashamed that he couldn't save her. He wished that he had taken the bullets instead. Definitely not mentally, but physically, Platinum was weak… she was much, _much_ weaker than him. Therefore, he had a much greater chance of surviving the shots.

Diamond took out a sheet of paper… it still had Platinum's last message. Although he didn't understand what it meant for nearly a year since her death, now, he understood perfectly. A reference to an event… it pleased him to know that it meant as much to her as it did to him. He smiled faintly and neatly folded the paper and put it back in his pocket.

He sat back down and leaned against the tombstone. He spent several hours a day there… it was the closest he could get to the girl he loved so much… and he was sure that she appreciated his visits.

Diamond closed his eyes as he recalled what the message meant. It was the first letter of every word that she said to him on the fateful day in his home party 4 years ago, after returning from Mt. Coronet… Silently, he thanked her again for the message and took a deep breath, dreaming of her, dreaming of the way she hugged his arm, and how good it made him feel… and thinking of each wonderful moment he had with her…

_In Twinleaf Town, after Diamond had returned from Mt. Coronet, his mother had prepared a party of his return with various berry delicacies. Cakes, drinks, and other fancy food were prepared, and enough to feed roughly 30 people. The invited guests were easy to determine. The first 7 Gym Leaders, Cynthia, Professor Rowan, Pearl and his father, a few other guests, and of course, Platinum (and her father)._

_Platinum sat next to Diamond and she seemed rather nervous. There seemed to be something bothering her, and it bothered him too. She seemed to be avoiding eye-contact with him…_

_As the party ended many hours later, Diamond followed Platinum as she left. He stood in the doorway and watched her walk away, perhaps from his life forever. But she suddenly stopped after just three steps and she slowly turned around. She kept her head down and seemed really nervous. He asked her what was wrong, and she slowly looked at him. What she said next would stick in his mind forever, replaying over and over…_

"_Thank you for everything Diamond… I really had fun spending time with you. But before we part ways forever, I… would like to tell you that… I… like you… … I __**love**__ you…"_

* * *

**I do realize that this one is a little confusing, and I do apologize. And about this being tragic, well… when I run out on ideas, I tend to drift towards tragedies for some reason… Anyways, next up is something not tragic.**

**Next up: Silver & Soul.**

**Added after SE #024: The Set Up II…**

* * *

What Could Have Been:

_A writing… she was writing something on the bed. Diamond quickly scanned the room and retrieved a sheet of paper and a pen. He showed them to her, asking if she wanted to write. He could see a very faint shaking of her head. She had no energy to lift up a pen… she could barely move… Even if she could lift the pen, she wouldn't be able to exert enough force to actually write anything._

_Diamond nodded and prepared to write. Platinum managed to move her left hand's index finger slightly on her bed to write a letter. Diamond saw the movement and wrote the letter. He asked for clarification as he went along, to ensure that he received her last message._

_Diamond froze when he realized what Platinum's last message was. It was a simple message composed of 7 letters._

"_Good bye…"_

_Platinum smiled faintly as her eyes slowly closed. Her last tears fell from her eyes and her head fell lifelessly to the side._

_Diamond dropped the sheet and pen and clasped Platinum's cold hand. "No, Lady, you can't die! I love you too much!" he desperately yelled, bursting into tears._

_But it was too late. Just like that, she was gone. She had woken up and passed away so quickly, as if she had resisted the inevitable death and woken up just so she could deliver her last message._


	5. First Meeting

**Primary: Silver & Soul.**

* * *

First Meeting:

Silver sat in the shade of a large tree, taking a break from his training. Route 45 was the perfect training spot for his Feraligatr and Kingdra, thus his training so far had gone _very_ well. He didn't wander too far away from Blackthorn City, in case there was some emergency he had to take care of (such as, getting food). If he went too far into Route 45, then there was no easy way to the nearest city. Sure he could Fly, but just staying close to Blackthorn was less bothersome. Suddenly, his Pokégear started to ring.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hi Silver, it's me," came Blue's voice.

"Oh, hey sis. I got the password booklet like you asked me to."

"Great. Where was it? It wasn't anywhere in Pallet Town, as far as I know."

"It was in Violet City," Silver replied. "… With Crys. I had to break into her house at night to find it. And… the sheet was in the bedroom, underneath the bed. I had to make sure that Crys didn't wake up while I searched the room, and believe me, I had to make a hard decision… Her head's going to hurt for the next couple of days…"

"You didn't hit her, did you?"

"Of course not. I came prepared with a particularly strong Sleep Powder. It pays to be prepared… I think you know that better than me. She'll wake up later today, but she'll have a serious headache for a while. Anyways," he said with a sigh. "I got the booklet…"

"Good. Get ready, Silver. I can't break into the secret room in Viridian Gym without it, you know."

Silver sighed again. He dug into his bag and withdrew a thick booklet. "Alright, I'm ready."

"Okay…" Silver heard some beeps coming from the other side. "Okay, I need password A217."

"A217… The password is, in one word, alternating capital letters, 'Sevii Pesky'." (password: SeViIpEsKy)

"It's so nice of him to make a password after me," Blue said after a short giggle. "Okay, now I need password S259…"

"S259 is… again, in one word, but alternate alternating capitals, 'Lock Breaker'." (password: lOcKbReAkEr)

"Got it. I'm inside the secret room, and I see the door to the inner room… I suppose that password is also after me, huh?"

"Seems like it. Who else breaks Green's locks?" Silver said with a laugh.

"Say, are all 26000 passwords after me?"

Silver scanned the booklet. "Uh… no. Only few of them are. The rest are random letters. I think they're just to throw people off, you know? I mean, if _someone_ were to try to hack into the keypad and saw it asking for password A217, they'll be discouraged, thinking there are 26000 passwords, out of which one at random will be asked for. I'm pretty sure a vast majority of these passwords are never asked for."

"So the only passwords that are asked for are named after me? That's sweet. Hm? Hold on for a sec… where's that Silph Scope… Ah, here it is… … Hmm… I see a gyrating laser grid, three hidden security cameras and a motion detector… I'm flattered that Green went through all this trouble just to keep me out of the secret room."

"A laser grid?"

"Yep. I'm pretty sure that once I step into the laser, the inner door will be locked down, and I'm also fairly sure that the outer door will also lock down, sealing me inside until Green returns. I think the cameras and the motion detectors do the same thing. If I get caught by them, the doors will probably lock down… I have to be careful… I need full focus for this one, so I'll talk to you afterwards, okay?"

"Alright. Good luck, sis."

Silver put his Pokégear back in his pocket. He stuffed the password booklet back into his bad and chuckled while shaking his head.

"Seriously, a key pad asking for two of 26000 passwords, a _gyrating_ laser grid, three security cameras and a motion detector… Just how many times did sis break into that Gym? And the password booklet was hidden in a different region… So much security and Green probably doesn't even have anything worth that much value in there."

Silver soon stood back up and stretched. His Weavile, had been sitting next to him, also stood up and stretched. "Anyways, time to continue with our trai-" he suddenly trailed off when he heard something. "Did you hear that?" he asked. His Weavile nodded. "It sounded like a scream…"

He heard it again, louder this time. It definitely was a scream. Deciding to check it out, he silently made his way towards the source of the scream. In the distance, he could see someone running away while being chased by several Gravelers.

From the distance, Silver watched with slight amusement before deciding to help. He quickly ran towards the group of Gravelers while making sure that they didn't see him coming. Before long he managed to catch up with the group.

The group of Gravelers had surrounded the person they were chasing, and from his position, Silver could see that it was a girl being chased. She was in the middle of the angry group, her Marill trying to fend off some of the attacking Pokémon, but to no avail. From what he could see, the girl had brown hair, a huge white hat, some red and blue attire (can't see well from the distance), and ridiculously high-reaching stockings.

Silver shook his head. '_Fashion nowadays…_' He continued to watch the scene unfold.

One of the Gravelers used Stone Edge, and the girl started to run to avoid the attack. But one rock 'shrapnel' hit her in the knee, making her fall. Silver looked at the girl again, having noticed something… she looked rather similar to Crystal. But he knew it wasn't her, because for one, she should still be under the effect of the particularly strong Sleep Powder, two, she doesn't have a Marill in her active team, and three, if it _was_ Crystal, then those Gravelers should be lying in an unconscious heap or caught in some Pokéball; Crystal doesn't need rescuing… And four, she would _never_ wear the clothes that this other girl had. Unless, of course, she was threatened or forced to.

Silver sent out his Feraligatr. '_One shot, extermination,_' he thought to himself. When the Gravelers were in a tight group while advancing towards the fallen girl, Silver gave the order. "Hydro Cannon."

A few seconds later, Silver slowly walked towards the fallen girl, walking past all the knocked out Gravelers. The girl looked back and forth between Silver and the defeated Gravelers, amazed by the power of Feraligatr's attack.

"Thank you," the girl said as he crouched in front of her.

Silver simply looked at the girl's knee and dug in his bag for the first aid kit. The girl looked at him curiously.

"Roll your sock down," Silver commanded, holding a medicine bottle in his hand.

After a moment of shock (at the abrupt order), she rolled her stocking down, gingerly over the knee. Without warning, Silver poured iodine (the 'medicine') over the wound. The girl gasped and winced from the horribly stinging pain.

"Ah! … Ungh… Who uses iodine nowadays?" she complained. "What are you, like 80 years old?"

Silver narrowed his eyes at the comment. He took out a roll of bandage and tightly wrapped it over the wound.

"I was just joking," the girl said with a smile. "Again, thank you."

Silver looked into her brown eyes for a split second before he put his first aid kit back into his bag. Again, he made no reply to the girl's thanks.

"You know," the girl started with a pout. "When a pretty girl like me says 'thanks', you say 'you're welcome'."

Silver raised an eyebrow at the last statement before he shook his head and rose to his feet. Much to the girl's surprise, he slung his bag over his shoulder and started to walk away.

"Hey! Are you just going to leave me here?" the girl shouted.

Silver turned around. "What do you expect me to do? Take you home?"

"That would be very nice. I mean… I did hurt my knee, after all."

Silver sent out his Honchkrow after staring at her for a long time. "Fine. Where do you live?"

"You're just going to air-lift me home?" the girl said with a surprised tone. "How very cold of you… Looks like you really don't like me, huh, Mr. Hero?"

The girl looked sad. _Very_ sad, as if she was going to cry any moment. She had the expression that Blue used against the likes of Red and Green. Silver always knew that this kind of sad face wouldn't affect him at all, but somehow, it was _working_. He returned his Honchkrow back into its Pokéball.

"Fine," he said. "I'll take you there myself. Now where do you live?" '_Damn… where's Gold when you need him?_'

"That's better!" the girl said happily, her sad expression nowhere to be found. "Thank you, Mr. Hero!"

Two hours later…

'_How did I get myself into this?_' Silver thought to himself as he carried the injured girl on his back. The girl had told him to take her to Cherrygrove City… and that was quite far away.

"Um…" the girl started. "Do you intend to take me to Cherrygrove in complete silence? Say something."

"Like what?" Silver retorted, carefully walking through Route 45 as his Weavile cleared a path through the tall grass.

"Like… tell me what your name is."

"Silver."

"Well, Silver, it's very nice to meet you," the girl said in a sweet voice. "… Aren't you going to ask what my name is?"

Silver sighed. "What's your name?"

"My name is Soul," said the girl. "… No 'nice to meet you, Soul'?"

"Nice to meet you, Soul," Silver said in monotone.

Soul sighed. "I can see that you need some lessons on being social… Where do you live? Maybe I can visit you and we can hang around, you know?"

"I don't really live anywhere. I just roam around Johto."

Soul didn't say anything. Silver glanced back and he could just barely see her face. She looked… hurt? What the hell?

"I'm sorry, Silver…" she said sadly. "I can see that I'm annoying you, and I'm sorry."

'_Annoying?_' "Who said you were annoying?" Silver asked, shocked.

"You must think so… you're avoiding conversations and you obviously don't want me around."

"Why do you think that?"

"You're not telling me where you live. Everyone lives _somewhere_, Silver… you clearly don't want me visiting you."

"But… I do roam around Johto. I've been doing that ever since… ever since I escaped…" Silver trailed off at the unpleasant memories of his past.

"Escaped?" Soul asked with worry. "Did you run away from home?"

"No." Silver sighed. "It's a long story…"

"We have time," Soul said. "We can't get to Cherrygrove today anyways. And it looks like it'll rain soon… Silver, we should just take shelter somewhere until tomorrow morning."

Silver looked to his right, where he could see a cave. He signaled his Weavile to go and investigate and followed his first Pokémon closely.

After the cave was deemed uninhabited, Silver set Soul down on the ground and proceeded to making a fireplace. The air was becoming humid, and it really looked like it would rain soon, so he needed to get dry wood as fast as possible.

An hour later…

Silver sat beside Soul, looking into the fire. Outside, it was raining heavily, and it was starting to get cold. The girl was hugging her knees (as much as she could) to stay warm while looking at him with a worried expression.

"So… what happened, Silver?"

Silver sighed. "I… I'm the son of Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni," he started. Seeing the frightened expression on Soul, he hastily continued. "Relax. I'm not like Team Rocket. In fact, I didn't know that Giovanni was my father until… 4 years ago."

"You… didn't know who your father was until 4 years ago?"

"I was kidnapped by Ho-oh when I was two years old. I didn't know where I lived or anything, and I was taken to the Tin Tower in Ecruteak. The one controlling Ho-oh was someone known as the Mask of Ice. You may have heard this name 6 years ago, when the Radio Tower in Goldenrod was taken over and… lots of stuff happened."

"Yes, I remember. I heard of what happened from a friend who was there."

Soul listened patiently as Silver listed all sorts of stuff from his past, from the days of training under the Mask of Ice, escaping, getting frozen solid by the Mask of Ice in Lake of Rage, battling Lugia, the missions by Lance, eventually the aerial combat of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres vs. Lugia and Ho-oh over the Ilex Forest. Then he continued on talking about how he searched for hints of his roots, getting to Viridian City, the double battle against Team Rocket, stopping the Rocket Airship from crashing into Vermilion City, getting turned into stone, watching helpless of what was happening around him while he was a stone statue, getting freed, learning Hydro Cannon, and eventually blasting the fake Kyogre into bits. THEN he moved on to talk about what happened last year, and a certain someone getting his ass handed to him by a certain Legendary Pokémon.

Soul noticed that Silver didn't give her the full details, such as the names of the 'allies' he worked with during those times, particularly the name of the one who 'had his ass handed to him' by a Legendary. But still, it seemed that he was involved in some chaotic events… again and again.

"Wow… that's… quite a story," Soul said.

"What, you think I'm crazy?" Silver asked, looking at her.

"No, I believe it all," she replied with a smile. "Because I've heard most of it before from a friend."

"You heard all this before?" Silver asked, surprised. "From who?"

Soul giggled. "Despite you not telling me the names of your 'allies' during your… 'adventures' in Johto, I know who they are, because this _friend_ of mine is one of them."

'… _Something tells me that I'm not going to like this…_' "Who's your friend?"

"_Maybe_ you know him. He always goes around telling people that he's Gold of New Bark Town. I believe he's the one who, as you said, got his rear-end handed to him by Arceus. He's my neighbor and we've been friends for nearly 10 years. I actually live in New Bark; I only told you to take me to Cherrygrove because I wanted to go to the Pokémon Center there."

Silver leaned against the wall of the cave, staring at the opposite wall in despair. '_Soul is a childhood friend of Gold? No… Now she's going to tell him that I __**rescued**__ her from danger, and he'll tell __**sis**__…_'

"Silver? You okay?"

'_Gold… why did it have to be __**Gold**__? Out of all the people in Johto…_'

"Silver!"

Silver snapped out of his trance and turned to look at Soul. She was looking at him, but very close, her face merely inches away from his.

"Are you okay, Silver? You seem sort of… shaken," she said with hints of worry in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm… I'm fine," Silver replied, backing away slightly. He could feel his cheeks heating from the uncomfortable proximity.

"Hmm… could it be that you're jealous that Gold's a close friend of mine?" Soul asked with a laugh.

"I – I'm not!"

"You're blushing!" she squealed in delight. "Aww… how cute!"

Silver looked away. He desperately tried to calm the (he admits) blushing, but his attempt was made futile when Soul leaned against his arm. If his face wasn't red before, it was now. He sheepishly put an arm around her… she felt cold. So Silver took off his coat and put it over her as a blanket. Soul thanked him and gave him a smile once again before leaning on him once more. Before long, she fell asleep.

Silver looked at the sleeping girl. She had called herself a pretty girl, and she wasn't lying, it seemed. Silver noticed that Soul was… quite… … what's that word… cute. He shook his head and closed his eyes, trying to get some sleep as well.

Two days later, Route 29…

"How's your knee?" Silver asked, while still carrying Soul on his back.

"Much better, thanks to you and your _iodine_."

Before long, Silver and Soul arrived in Cherrygrove Pokémon Center. Soul carefully got off of Silver and limped towards the door.

"Could you wait a little bit? I'll be right back."

Once Soul disappeared inside the building, Silver took out his Pokégear and called Blue. He wanted to know if she successfully broke into Green's secret room in Viridian. She hadn't called the previous day, so he was getting curious.

"Hi, Silver," came Blue's voice before long.

"Hey sis. How'd it go?"

"Perfectly! I gave Green an ultimatum. Either I break into his secret room in Viridian Gym again and again, or he takes me out for dinner today. I'm sure he'll call pretty soon with his answer."

"How'd you get past the _gyrating_ laser grid? And the motion trackers and cameras?" Silver asked curiously.

"Oh, it was _really_ easy. _None_ of those devices were shielded to EMP. It was a good thing that I took a small EMP generator from Bill's lab. Like you said, Silver: it pays to be prepared."

"Bill was using an EMP generator? For what?"

"He was using it for an experiment for something, but I'm sure he doesn't need this particular generator. I'm sure he has a back up one somewhere. Anyways, I'm heading back to his house to return the generator. What are you doing right now?"

"I'm in Cherrygrove," Silver replied. "Just wandering around right now." In the corner of his eye, he could see Soul limping back out of the Pokémon Center. "Anyways, there's something I need to take care of. I'll talk to you later, sis."

Silver hastily hung up, and instantly regretted that decision. Blue would become suspicious, and that wasn't good for anyone she suspected. He shook away the thought as Soul came closer.

"All done! Now, Mr. Hero, if you'd be kind enough to take me home…"

Silver thought for a moment. '_New Bark… well, Gold is __**probably**__ at the Game Corner in Goldenrod, so… it's safe, I guess…_' "… Fine."

He walked towards Route 29, and Soul hopped onto his back. Silver grumbled as he carried her once again, but he couldn't say that he _hated_ it.

New Bark Town…

Silver carefully walked past the big-freaking-house belonging to Gold, and towards where Soul was pointing. But just as he arrived at Soul's house, it happened…

"Yo! Soul!" came an all-too-familiar voice from behind.

Silver hastily dropped Soul onto her feet and tried to run, but it was too late for that.

"And… Silver?"

Silver sighed and slowly turned around. He could see Gold coming towards him while on his skateboard. Gold got off his skateboard in front of Soul and glanced back and forth between her and Silver.

Gold looked at the blood stains on Soul's stockings, the nervous look on the girl's face, and the embarrassed look on Silver's face as well. Then, he understood it all. And he laughed.

"Saving damsels again, are we?" he said, still laughing hard. "And you even took her home!"

Silver shook his head and turned away, pretending to be ridiculing Gold's immature attitude, but trying to hide his blush in reality. Soul approached Gold and stopped his laughs.

"Psst, Gold…" she whispered, making sure that Silver couldn't hear her. "I… I think I like him… and I need your help."

"I get it," the goggled boy whispered back with a smile. "Sure thing."

"Thanks," Soul said with a wink. "I'll see you later, Gold." She turned to Silver's direction. "Thank you for everything, Mr. Hero! I'll see you again!"

Silver turned around just in time to see Soul waving at him before she entered her house. Gold, with a damned grin on his face, slowly walked towards him.

"Well, well, well…" he started.

"Shut up…" Silver said sharply. He walked past him and took a glance at Soul's house. '_Soul… the only one who knows of her existence is Gold… damn it…_'

Gold watched with amusement as Silver turned back around and walked towards him.

"What the hell are you doing here, anyways? Shouldn't you be at Goldenrod Game Corner, cheating again?"

"For your information, buddy, I was forced to run an errand for Crys. For some reason, Super Serious Gal told me that she had a super serious headache, and couldn't leave her house. So I had to go over there, and take something to that Professor Elm guy. But the real question is… what are _you_ doing here?"

Silver took a deep breath, and glanced back at Soul's house. After another sigh, he turned to glare at Gold. "You did not see this happen," he said silently, just loud enough that Gold could hear. "You will _not_ tell this to _anyone_, and you _will_ help me get her."

Gold started to laugh again. "And to think that I thought you were wired a little odd. But if I refuse?"

Silver's eyes twitched. "Then I tell sis that you like Crys, and I tell Crys that you and Soul are _particularly_ close."

"Ouch. Well, Silver, I think we have a deal. We'll talk more after I give that Elm guy this package."

Silver watched as Gold skateboarded away, wondering if he made the right decision. He really hoped that he could trust Gold on this one…

However, as Gold arrived in front of Professor Elm's lab, a thought occurred. After he's done with Crystal's errand, he would call Red and find out Blue's Pokégear number. Then there was some… story-telling to do…

* * *

**This occurs some time before Surprise Gift. Some time between First Meeting and Surprise Gift, Gold tells Blue of the existence of Soul, and Silver tells Crystal of that same existence as well. Also he tells Blue that Gold has a crush on Crystal, and Blue forces the 'deal' that was mentioned in Surprise Gift.**

**Anyways, that's the back****story of the connection between Surprise Gift and First Meeting.**

**Next up: ****Gold & Crystal.**** Reviews and suggestions are appreciated.**


	6. Ski Trip

**This takes place shortly after Surprise Gift. It's the 'event in Snowpoint' that was mentioned.**

**MISC: Ages (as of end of year, Gold and Crystal as basis):**

**Red, Green, Blue: +4  
Yellow, Silver: +1  
Gold, Crystal: 0  
Ruby, Sapphire: -1  
Emerald: -2  
Platinum: -3  
****Diamond, Pearl: -4**

**Primary: Gold & Crystal.**

* * *

Ski Trip:

Route 217, Sinnoh…

Crystal looked through the window of the bus as she headed towards Snowpoint City. There was a lot of snow on the ground, thus the bus was going slow for safety. According to Green, for her birthday party, Platinum and Blue had planned an event in Snowpoint. Platinum had rented a bus to be used for the trip and made arrangements for a lodge and whatnot.

Apparently every Dex Holder was going on a ski trip. Crystal was a little worried because… she didn't know how to ski. She didn't like the cold either. The boots, hat, gloves, and the winter coat she received as birthday presents and the winter pants she borrowed from Blue (she had extras) kept her warm. She looked at Platinum, who sat beside her. Crystal couldn't believe how her junior could wear such a light coat and a _skirt_ for skiing… and she even kept her coat _off_. In fact, she seemed a little hot… She had some ridiculously high tolerance for cold…

Crystal looked over at Blue and Yellow, who sat in the seats in front. Her seniors were also dressed warmly and seemed to have similar tolerance to cold. She looked behind, where Ruby and Sapphire sat. The two Hoenn Dex Holders wore really thick winter clothes, but still trembled from the cold. For once, they weren't bickering.

On the other side of the bus, Diamond and Pearl were silently practicing their comedy acts, Silver was asleep, and Gold was busy eating something while slowly reaching for the windows. Emerald, who sat beside him, was curled up into a ball, shivering. Red was dozing off as Green was reading a book. Those two didn't seem to mind the cold that much either.

'_I wonder how many of the Dex Holders know how to ski?_' Crystal thought, as she looked out through the windows once again.

"Um… excuse me, senior Crystal," Platinum suddenly started.

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind if I open the windows? It is quite hot."

Sapphire suddenly kicked the seat from behind. "Y – You w – w – want to do _what_?"

"Sorry, Platinum. It may be hot for you, but it's quite cold for the rest of us," Crystal said, shuddering at the thought of opening the windows.

But to her horror, she heard the sound of a window opening. She looked around and saw which window was open. Apparently Gold had decided to open the windows for the sake of torturing Emerald, who grumbled as he tried to shield himself from the harsh wind.

"Shut the window! You're letting all the heat out!" Crystal yelled.

"R – R – Relax, Super S – Serious Gal," Gold stuttered. "I – Isn't it n – n – nice to breathe some f – fresh air?" Despite shivering violently, he pretended to be perfectly fine. "I – Isn't that right, E – Emerald?"

"I – I – I'll get you back s – someday…" Emerald stuttered out from his wind-shield. "I'll n – never come back to northern S – Sinnoh…"

A few hours later, the bus arrived in front of the lodge. It was three stories high, and seemed quite big overall. It must've cost a lot to rent such a lodge for… however long they were staying.

Crystal groaned silently. There was no way she would be able to repay Platinum for this birthday event. All she could do was take better care of her.

Next day, 5 am…

Crystal groaned as she woke up. She was very tired and very cold as well. It was a hellacious night, and due to… a prank by _someone_, she only slept for two hours. That prank had almost given her a heart attack… She sighed and after checking the cut and bruise on her cheek with a mirror, made her way to the bathroom to take a shower.

Half an hour later, she stepped out of the lodge where some of the Dex Holders were waiting. It was still dawn, and it was _very_ cold. And Platinum wanted everyone to meet her _outside_ so they can _walk_ to the ski resort.

Crystal let out another sigh; she could see her breath slowly rising towards the sky. She zipped up her coat and walked towards the small group of Dex Holders waiting, namely Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Silver, Pearl, and Platinum.

Platinum seemed quite tired. Crystal understood; the heiress had to share a room with Sapphire, and when extreme tolerance to cold met extreme _intolerance_ to cold, there were bound to be problems. Crystal assumed that Platinum kept the heater on at maximum power to keep her senior warm.

"Good morning, senior Crystal. Did you sleep well?" Platinum asked after a polite bow.

Crystal smiled and nodded. "Yes, I… had a good night's rest. So… how far away is the ski resort?"

Platinum covered her mouth as she let out a yawn. "… Excuse me. The ski resort is roughly a half an hour walk from here. And we shall leave once all the other-"

"I can't wait any more!" Pearl hollered.

With several snowballs, he barged into the lodge. Crystal walked towards the group of Dex Holders and waited. Soon, she heard some loud yelling and furniture being tossed around from inside the lodge and Pearl came back out.

"Well, that worked great," he muttered with a smile.

Another half an hour later, the remaining Dex Holders came out, and the group headed towards the ski resort. At the ski resort, after renting all the necessary stuff, Crystal waited at the base of the hill, hesitant to get to the top. The ski course was quite… big. While she stared blankly at the course, Gold came up to a halt in front of her, after having snowboarding down from the top of the hill already; of course, coming to an abrupt halt right in front of her sprayed slush all over her.

"Hey, Super Serious Gal, what're you doing?" he asked with a smirk. "You've been standing here for quite some time, you know. I think it's been 3 hours."

Crystal grumbled as she tried to get the snow and slush out of her eyes. '_3 hours? It's been that long__ already__?_' "Gold…" she started in a lecturing tone, brushing the snow and slush off of her clothes now.

"Just like last night, huh?"

"You almost gave me a heart attack yesterday!" she yelled.

"Hey, your heart's not that weak!" Gold started. "Unless, of course, you've been over-eating or something. I warned you, though. I told you not to eat too much and get fat. Remember that?"

Crystal clenched her teeth and tried to smash one of her ski poles over Gold's head. He blocked it with his billiard cue, which he had been using as a ski pole while snowboarding. Crystal tried to smash the other pole, but he blocked it as well.

"Whoa, you're too violent, Super Serious Gal. Relax! I was only joking!"

Crystal crossed her arms and turned away. She seemed rather offended, so Gold tried something different.

"Say, let's go up that hill," he said, pointing to the _tallest_ ski course in the resort.

"Eh? But…" Crystal suddenly looked around, and after ensuring that no other Dex Holder was in the area, she whispered. "I never skied before…"

Gold started to laugh. "Don't worry, I'll hold your hand."

True to his word, he grabbed her hand and started to drag her towards the ski lift. Crystal started to protest, but suddenly fell mute when he kissed her in the cheek.

"Relax. Nothing bad will happen."

At the top of the hill, Crystal carefully stood away from the slope.

"Isn't this slope too steep?" she asked. "I mean… it says it's the hardest ski course here…"

"Look, Super Serious Gal, even Platinum is riding down this slope," said Gold, pointing downhill.

Crystal inched her way over and looked. Platinum really was skiing down this slope, very fast. Well, she was going very fast, until she fell. Crystal shuddered as she watched her junior crash-roll downhill. After a particularly painful looking crash into a tree, she slowed and rolled the rest of the way down. But soon afterwards, she rose back to her feet and after gathering her skis and ski poles, headed towards a different slope. The snow must've softened her crashes.

"Excuse us," came Ruby's voice from behind.

Crystal turned around and saw both Ruby and Sapphire. They both seemed to have adrenaline running through their veins, as they weren't shivering. She stepped aside and let her two juniors get ready to ski downhill. Sapphire, despite having a bandage wrapped over her left eye, seemed to have no difficulties skiing.

"Remember. The first one to reach the ski lift down there wins," she said, her voice full of determination. "Ready, set…"

"Go!" Ruby yelled.

The two Hoenn Dex Holders raced downhill, using their ski poles to accelerate as much as possible. Crystal watched as the two sped down… until they suffered similar fate as Platinum. But in the end, Sapphire crawled towards the ski lift first, thus winning the race.

"Um… Gold, I don't think we should ski down here…" Crystal said. "Everybody's crashing near the end…"

"I said relax, Crys," Gold said. "Here, I'll go first."

Gold jumped onto the slope and snowboarded straight downhill. There was a big jump in the middle of the slope, and unlike the other Dex Holders who avoided it, Gold raced straight towards it. And after soaring through the air, he landed on his back and like the others before him, rolled the rest of the way downhill.

Crystal gasped as she tried to find Gold in the cloud of snow. When the cloud of snow cleared, she couldn't see him anywhere. Starting to get worried, she wanted to get to him, but didn't want to know what would happen to her if she went down the slope.

Meanwhile, Gold, despite covered in snow, was riding the ski lift back up to the hill. He hoped that he created enough 'smoke' so that Crystal couldn't see him getting back on the ski lift. At the top of the hill, he could see her still looking downhill, so he knew that his plan worked. He carefully hopped towards her.

"Hey, Crys!" he suddenly yelled, as he nudged her from behind, pushing her down the slope.

Crystal shrieked in surprise. "GOLD!"

After laughing for a few seconds, he jumped back onto the slope and raced after her. Crystal was desperately trying to slow down, but to no avail. Gold easily caught up with her and slowed down just enough to stay at the same speed.

"See? You're doing good," he yelled.

"HELP!" Crystal screamed back.

Gold grabbed her hand. She seemed to relax a little already. She turned to look at him. He grinned and pointed ahead with his billiard cue. She looked at where he was pointing; the big jump. Gold was leading her straight towards the jump…

"No, no, please don't!" Crystal shrieked out. She tried to move away but since Gold was holding onto her, she couldn't go anywhere. "Gold, don't!"

"Let's fly!"

"GOLD!"

Without warning, she and Gold soared through the air with no ground below them. Crystal shut her eyes and braced herself…

15 minutes later, at the ski lodge…

Blue entered the VIP room (appointment made by Platinum), brushing the snow off of her clothes. She wanted to take a short break and… maybe eat something. She didn't eat anything yet, and was starving as a result.

Inside, there were already quite a few Dex Holders. Apart from Red, Green, Gold, Silver, Crystal, and Pearl, everybody else was there.

Emerald sat in front of the fire while eating a burger, Sapphire was talking to Yellow while sitting on top of Ruby, who was doing push-ups.

"49… 50!" Ruby counted. He tried to push Sapphire off of him when she slammed her fist onto his back.

"You're not done yet!" she yelled angrily.

"What? The bet was up to 50!" Ruby complained.

"Do 50 more!"

"Why?"

"For last night, you jerk!"

"I told you, that was an accident! And why mention it now? You were fine with it earlier today!"

Sapphire glared at Ruby through one eye. "Accident? Yeah, right. You did that on purpose! And why do you think I made this bet in the first place? So I could make you pay for what you did!"

"Look, I'm sorry! I didn't know that the branch would hit you like that!"

"Whatever. 50 more push-ups, you!"

Blue shook her head and looked over at a table, where she could see another interesting sight. Diamond, despite having a plate full of food in front of him, was frozen in his place, barely breathing. Sitting next to him was Platinum, who had fallen asleep and was now leaning against his arm, her head resting on his shoulder. Not only that, her hand was resting on top of his.

Blue smiled and sat by the table adjacent, watching the two Sinnoh Dex Holders. She wondered whether Diamond would stay like this until they headed back to the lodge, assuming Platinum didn't wake up.

Suddenly, the door opened and Pearl stepped in, hollering.

"Dia! I just thought of a great comedy act! Let's…" he trailed off upon seeing his friend frozen in place.

Diamond looked at Platinum. She stirred slightly but was fast asleep. He could feel her gently squeezing his hand. He smiled and looked back at his getting-cold food; despite starving, he never felt so happy before.

Seeing his two friends, a thought occurred to Pearl. Blue, as if she read his mind, went over to her bag and pulled out a camera, which she then handed to Pearl. He took several pictures of Diamond and Platinum from various angles, and once he thought he had enough, he moved the camera right in front of Platinum's face.

"Hey look! Dia's kissing someone!" Pearl hollered.

As expected, Platinum snapped awake and Pearl took a picture of the reaction. She looked somewhat confused and she looked around a little… hastily. Then, realizing that Pearl was joking, she shook her head and pushed the camera away from her face.

"Your loud voice surprised me, Pearl," she said hastily. "Please do not do that again."

"Uh… are you okay?" came Diamond's voice from beside.

Surprised, Platinum looked to the right where Diamond was looking at her. Realizing that she was holding his hand and was leaning on him, she quickly pulled away and straightened herself. She blushed in embarrassment, but luckily, had an urge to yawn, and while complying to do so, covered her mouth and cheeks to hide the blush.

"Y – Yes, I am fine, Diamond. I am slightly tired, is all," she said shortly after. "I apologize if I was a nuisance to you."

"No, no. No problem at all."

"How long was I asleep?" Platinum asked.

"Two hours maybe?"

Platinum looked at the food on the plate in front of Diamond. The food looked quite… congealed now. '_Did he not eat at all during that time?_' "… Thank you for what you did."

Diamond turned to look at her, and she looked at him. Their faces were quite close to each other… But after a few seconds, they both turned away. Diamond focused on his hardening food while Platinum struggled to hide yet another embarrassed blush.

Blue smacked a hand onto her face. The two had just missed a golden opportunity… '_Maybe one day…_'

Within a few more minutes, yet another interesting sight came through the door. Gold, covered in snow, was carrying Crystal in his arms, also covered in snow. He had his snowboard slung across his back and she held her skis and ski poles in her arm.

Seeing everyone staring at the carrying pose, Crystal quickly rammed her elbow into Gold's chin and got back onto her feet. She winced at the pain coming from her right knee and limped towards a seat.

"What happened?" Blue asked, smiling at the expressions of her two juniors.

Crystal pointed at the ski course through the windows. More specifically, she was pointing at the giant jump in the middle.

"I think I sprained a knee…" she grumbled out. She glared at Gold. "I told you that I shouldn't go down that slope! Especially not that jump!"

"Hey, but it was fun, wasn't it?" Gold said with a grin as he un-slung his snowboard.

Crystal grumbled some more and turned away. He was right; it was fun… until the painful crash, anyways. She looked at Platinum who was looking at her with a worried expression.

"Hey Platinum, could we go back to the lodge once everyone returns?"

"Oh, certainly, senior Crystal… I am terribly sorry. I had thought that a ski trip would be fun for everyone…" Platinum said in an apologetic tone. "If I had known that you have never skied…"

'_Great… did I hurt her feelings?_' "No, no, it was fun," Crystal said hastily. "This was just an accident, caused by _someone_. It's not your fault; don't be so hard on yourself. I just feel like returning to the lodge so I can rest and not put any strain on my leg."

Platinum nodded. "Of course. Once the other seniors return, we shall return to the lodge."

Within an hour, Red, Green, and Silver returned, having conquered all the slopes in the resort. After eating lunch, the Dex Holders prepared to return to the lodge.

Seeing Crystal massaging her knee while looking at everyone else getting their stuff, Blue approached Gold and whispered something into his ear.

"… What? There's no way I'll do that!" he yelled, gaining everyone's attention.

Blue stepped on his foot and whispered something again.

Gold sighed and turned to face Crystal. "… Since it was my fault that you sprained a knee, it is apparently my duty to _carry_ you back to the lodge…"

"Come again? … … I – In _public_?" Crystal stammered.

"Oh well, I tried," Gold started. Blue kicked him in the ankle. After another sigh, he grabbed Crystal's hand and lifted her onto her feet before lifting her onto his back.

"H – Hey! What are you…"

"Pretend to be asleep or something," Gold whispered.

Hiding her embarrassed blush, Crystal did as she was told. It certainly felt less embarrassing…

Blue slung her bag over her shoulders and smiled as she watched Gold carry Crystal out of the room, with Emerald following (carrying their stuff). She then turned to look at Platinum. The heiress was glancing back and forth between Gold and Diamond before she smiled and turned to find her bag. Directly after, Diamond glanced back and forth between Crystal and Platinum, before he too, smiled and followed Gold and Crystal out of the room, with his bag slung over his shoulder.

Blue sighed. Yet another missed opportunity. '_These two really need help… Maybe tomorrow…_'


	7. Something Special

**For those who may be wondering, I won't make a chapter on: Red & Yellow or Black & White for the time being.  
Reason for Red & Yellow is that... I just can't. It's blatantly obvious, yet one is completely oblivious while the other is completely nervous.  
Black & White: a) the arc just started, b) Black is only traveling with White because he owes her millions for destroying things, and c) he refers to her as 'president' or '****社長****'****.  
Maybe some time in the future I'll make some attempts.**

**Anyways, this was something I made a long time ago that was completed, then forgotten, got deleted (don't remember why) and now remade. Enjoy this back-from-the-dead one-shot.**

**Primary: Diamond & Platinum.**

* * *

Something Special:

12:00 pm, Twinleaf Town, Sinnoh…

It was a bright and sunny day in Sinnoh, a perfect day to go on an adventure or something. But while some people were enjoying the pleasant weather outside, Diamond was busy snoring as he slept in the comfort of his house. He had a list of ideas written on a piece of paper lying on the floor beside him. They were ideas for a gift to be given to…

Suddenly the phone started to ring. Diamond grunted in his sleep and rolled away from the source of the annoying sound. A second later, he slowly woke up and slowly scrambled over to the phone.

"Hello?" he asked in a sleepy voice.

"Hello, Diamond," came a cheerful female voice.

Diamond snapped awake. "H – Hi…" It was the birthday girl, Platinum Berlitz. She must've called to check whether he was coming to the birthday party, which was set to begin… '_Oh crap!_'

"I just wanted to check whether you were coming," Platinum said. "The party starts in a few hours and many of the guests are already here."

'_Oh no… I don't have a gift for her yet!_'

Diamond started to panic. He had spent hours earlier that day thinking of what to get Platinum for her birthday, but came up with nothing. There wasn't anything he could get her that she didn't have already. He thought about asking some of his senior Dex Holders for advice (like the past 4 years), but he wanted give Platinum a gift that _he_ thought of, not someone else.

After hours of thinking of a good gift, he must've dozed off and fell asleep. Now there was four hours left until the party begins, and he had nothing.

"Hello? Diamond?"

He couldn't go empty handed. Platinum would be severely disappointed in him. He couldn't miss the party either. She would be even more disappointed.

"Are you there, Diamond?"

There was only one thing he could do… stall.

"I'm really sorry, Lady, but something very urgent has come up and I might be a little late… is that okay?"

"Oh… sure. I shall be waiting for you then."

Soon, Platinum hung up and Diamond began to pace around the room. The heiress sounded somewhat disappointed… did she notice that he had no gift for her?

Diamond pressed his hands against his head and thought. But again, no ideas came… until his stomach growled. He snapped his fingers. He was going to do what he did best: cook. He would make Platinum the best birthday cake she had ever seen… assuming the chefs in the Berlitz mansion didn't make her an outrageously fancy cake already.

He quickly ran towards the kitchen and checked the ingredients. He didn't have enough to make a good cake though. So he grabbed his wallet and ran towards the nearest store to fix that problem.

Six hours later…

Blue watched Platinum as she paced around by the door of the party room. Every Dex Holder except for Diamond had arrived, and the heiress was obviously waiting for him.

'_What could be taking him so long?_' Platinum thought to herself. '_Could something have happened to him? No… he can take care of himself… Where could he be?_'

"Platinum?" Blue started.

"Yes, senior?"

"You're waiting for Dia, right?" she asked with a grin.

"Yes. I am worried that something may have happened to him… He is quite late."

Pearl, hearing the conversation, walked towards them. "The last time I checked, which was before I came here, he was taking a nap in his house. There's really no reason for him to come late."

Platinum appeared surprised. "Then why is he not here right now?" she muttered to herself.

Blue thought for a moment before she dragged Pearl away from Platinum. While the heiress tried to understand what was happening to Diamond, Blue asked Pearl a few things. After a few minutes, she walked towards Platinum, a plan forming in her head.

"Platinum, go to Twinleaf Town and find Dia," she said. "He's probably in his house right now, and you can find out why he's late."

"Is it really possible that he is at home?" Platinum asked, disappointment and worry in her expression. She started to panic as numerous thoughts ran through her mind. "Why would he be late if he is at home? Does he not wish to come? Did… did I do something that caused him to dislike me? What if he…"

Blue placed her hands on her junior's shoulders. "Get a hold of yourself, Platinum. Think about it. He's your friend. There's no way that he'll dislike you or anything like that. I'm sure he's late for a very good reason."

The Sinnoh girl appeared a little hurt, however. "But what if he really does not wish to come? What if…"

Blue sighed. "Just go over there. Trust me. He does _not_ dislike you."

Platinum took a shuddering breath and nodded. Blue walked over towards Green and swiped a Pokéball from his belt.

"Green, I'm borrowing your Charizard," she said quickly as she ran out of the room.

"Say what?" Green turned around just in time to see Blue shut the door as she left. "… Pesky girl…"

15 minutes later, Platinum hopped off of her senior's Charizard in front of Diamond's house. She was still in her thin dress (specially made for her birthdays), so the evening breeze felt quite cold.

"Now remember what I told you," Blue said to her junior as she got Green's Charizard to fly up high. She would remain in the air and with the aid of her modified Silph Scope (and the fact that she bugged Platinum's scarf (the heiress had put on her hat and scarf for this visit), like Yellow's hat), she would monitor her junior. She put on a headset and with her scope, zoomed in on the door.

Platinum thought about what her senior told her to say and knocked on the door. '_Okay… Dia__mond__ comes out, I ask him why he did not come, he explains the reason, and then I take him to the party. Sounds easy enough… I just hope that he does have a good reason…_' she thought to herself.

Blue, while staying airborne, thought of what was _really_ supposed to happen. '_Alright… Dia opens the door, gets surprised by Platinum's presence, and starts to panic. He won't be able to explain properly, and Platinum will start to cry, thinking that he's lying. Seeing her cry, he will try to calm her down, and there will be __**plenty**__ of opportunities to hug or kiss and finally they'll be able to tell each other how they feel. It's about time…_'

Before long, the door opened and Diamond appeared on the doorway. Upon seeing Platinum, his eyes grew wide in surprise. The heiress, seeing Diamond's appearance, gasped in shock.

"Lady? W – What are you…" Diamond started, starting to panic.

"Diamond… what were you doing?" she asked, looking at him from head to toe. He had a chef's hat on and was covered in flour and other foodstuff. '_Was he preparing dinner?_'

Diamond looked at the clothes he was wearing and suddenly realized everything. '_Oh crap!_' "I – I – I was just…"

Platinum put her hands over her heart to try to calm herself. "Diamond… why did you not come to my birthday party? Did you not wish to come?"

"No! No, no… I was just… uh… Oh, the clothes… I… uh… this isn't what it looks like!"

"You… you were cooking, were you not? Preparing dinner?" Platinum said, starting to tremble. "You never intended on attending my birthday party, did you? At least you could have informed me… Did you not care how I would feel?"

'_Yes… good. Now cry, Platinum,_' Blue thought, smiling from above.

As if she was instructed, Platinum burst into tears. "I thought we were friends, Diamond!"

Diamond _really_ started to panic. "N – No! That's not it! I…"

'_Yes, __Dia__… hug her. Calm her down… do __**something**__!_' Blue zoomed in on Platinum's expression. She seemed really hurt. '_Hmm… he better do something quick, or…_'

The heiress started to run away. Diamond ran after her but he couldn't catch up with her.

'_Da__r__n it… Alright… a slight modification… Sorry Platinum, but this might hurt…_' Blue tapped Green's Charizard. "Fly right above Platinum, but keep it quiet so she doesn't notice."

Charizard did as told, and silently flew some 20 meters above Platinum. Blue took her Ditto (which was attached to her hat, just in case she needed it very quickly) and whispered something to it before she tossed it ahead of Platinum. The Ditto Transformed into several big rocks on the ground, making the heiress trip. The girl tripped over the first big rock and as she hit the ground, her right knee hit a sharp rock (a part of Ditto). Once the damage was done, the Ditto flattened itself out on the ground so Platinum couldn't notice.

The heiress yelped in pain and clutched her injured knee on the ground. A minute later, Diamond caught up with her.

"Lady… please listen… I…" he suddenly trailed off upon seeing the blood on the girl's knee. "Your knee… does it hurt?"

Platinum turned away. "N – No, I am fine…" she lied. But she kept glancing at her injury.

"Please… come with me. We need to treat that knee first," Diamond said, offering his hand.

After several moments of hesitation, Platinum accepted his hand and he helped her up to her feet. She winced in pain, but once she was on her feet, she pulled away from Diamond and began to limp her way towards his house on her own.

Blue, from above, smiled. At this rate, things would work out very well. She returned her Ditto back into its Pokéball and silently followed her two Sinnoh juniors from above. Once they entered the house, Blue switched the settings on her modified Silph Scope to thermal so that she could see through the roof.

Inside, Diamond used a wet paper towel to clean the wound on Platinum's knee before beginning to apply the antiseptic. He noticed the blood on her dress, which probably was worth more than his house, and wondered what he would do if he was told to pay compensation. Platinum hissed in pain and tried her best to hold back her tears.

"I am really sorry, Diamond…" she said quietly once the pain returned to a tolerable level.

"Huh? For what?"

"If I had known that you did not wish to attend my birthday party, I would not have invited you. But I had and you had no choice but to lie to me to avoid attending."

"That's not true," Diamond said after finishing the bandaging of Platinum's knee. "Would you like to hear my explanation now?" he asked. The heiress nodded and looked into his eyes. "Okay… I spent the entire morning thinking what gift I should get you. The problem was that there was nothing I could get you that would be special. I didn't want to disappoint you with a random gift, but since you have just about everything, there was nothing I could get you that you don't already have. And while trying to think of a gift, I… fell asleep," he said in an embarrassed tone. "When you called, I just woke up, and I still had no gift for you. I didn't want to disappoint you by not having a gift, so I decided to make you one. I needed more than time than I had, so I said that I would be late. I'm sorry if I disappointed you."

Platinum couldn't help but smile. She took Diamond's hands and grasped them firmly.

"I am so sorry for doubting you, Diamond," she said sweetly. "And thank you for not spiting me. It was foolish of me to doubt your word, and from now on, I promise that I shall trust you."

She carefully rose to her feet and tried to take a step but her knee still hurt and she ended up falling forwards. Diamond caught her with both arms and stumbled back a step. His face turned red upon realizing that he was essentially hugging her. He moved his hands up to her shoulders and helped her regain balance. Platinum too, seemed quite embarrassed.

"Thank you, Diamond…" she said quietly. She was blushing quite a bit.

"Don't mention it."

Platinum slightly pulled herself closer towards him. Her face was merely inches away from his. Diamond too, was leaning closer to her. Blue, from on top of the roof, could see the two figures moving very close to each other, and knew that _finally_ her two juniors would kiss.

But, _just_ before their lips met, Diamond pulled away, sniffing at the air.

"What smells like baked bread?" he muttered to himself. He suddenly snapped his fingers. "Ah! That's right!" he exclaimed before he rushed towards the kitchen.

Blue groaned loudly and smacked a hand on her forehead. '_Oh, for crying out loud! What do I have to do? Push their faces into each other?_'

Platinum too, was rather disappointed. But wondering what Diamond was interested in, she carefully limped her way towards the kitchen as well. There, she could see the Sinnoh boy carrying a perfectly baked cake (he managed to save it before it started to burn).

"Diamond, what are you making?"

"It's your birthday gift," Diamond replied. "This piece will be on the top of the full cake," he said. He pointed to the left where there was a multi-level cake in progress. There were currently 3 levels to that cake. And with the final level, the cake seemed almost as tall as he was.

"Did you make all this for me?" Platinum asked.

"Yes. It's my way of saying: 'happy birthday and sorry for being late'."

"Wow… Thank you, Diamond. But how will you move this to Sandgem Town?"

"I got it covered. Now Lady, this cake is not finished yet. If you'd give me an hour, I can finish this and take it to your mansion. Could you wait for me there? I want this to be a surprise."

Platinum nodded. "Of course. I shall wait for you once more. Please do hurry, Diamond. Do not keep me waiting too long."

"Can you go back to your mansion all by yourself?" Diamond asked, looking at Platinum's injured knee.

"Yes. Senior Blue flew me here, and as such I shall have no problems returning. It is you that I am worried about, but if you say that it is no problem, then I shall believe you."

"Okay then. I'll see you in an hour," Diamond said, taking her outside his house. Blue, hearing all that was happening, waited just outside and picked up Platinum. Once they were out of sight, Diamond took a deep breath and returned inside to finish the cake.

An hour later, in the party room of the Berlitz mansion, Platinum waited while several servants/maids were busy massaging and re-bandaging her injured knee. She had told them multiple times to go away, but apparently her health and well-being outranked her. Now her knee was bandaged so tight, she couldn't bend it anymore; as if she broke her knee. She wondered what the servants/maids would do if her knee was _actually_ broken, rather than scratched.

The heiress looked over at the Dex Holders' table, where some of her seniors were looking at her. Platinum felt rather embarrassed. She didn't like receiving special treatment because of a minor knee injury. She was about to make another attempt at ordering the servants and maids to scram when someone knocked on the party room's door.

Smiling brightly, Platinum jumped up to her feet and limped towards the door. Several maids tried to stop her, but the heiress forced her way to the door. When she opened the door, she found Diamond in a nice set of clothes, smiling.

"Diamond! You are finally here!" she exclaimed happily.

"Happy birthday! I'm sorry I'm late, though."

Platinum grabbed his hands and led him to the Dex Holders' table, where the others greeted him. Diamond noticed the pile of opened present boxes beside the table, and knew that everyone else had already given their birthday gifts. He quickly jogged towards the door and signaled to the servants outside. With a bright smile, he approached Platinum.

"I got you your birthday present!" he said. "Please try to be surprised," he whispered at the end.

Platinum clasped her hands together and eagerly looked on. Within a few seconds, several servants entered the room carrying the cake that Diamond made. The heiress gasped in shock. She had seen the cake before it was finished, but now it looked completely different. The frosting, the appearance, everything looked beautiful.

"Diamond," she started, her voice trembling. "This is incredible! This is the most amazing cake I have ever seen!"

"You like it?"

"Yes, I love it!" the heiress exclaimed. "Thank you so much, Diamond!" Much to everyone's surprise, she hugged him.

"S – Sure, it was n – nothing," Diamond stammered, his arms frozen by his side. He snapped out of his infatuation and nervously hugged back.

Platinum, realizing her actions now, quickly pulled back, blushing madly. She put her hands to her cheeks and looked away from Diamond.

Gold suddenly rose from his seat and walked over to Platinum. He had a big grin on his face, and it didn't help the heiress's blushing problem.

"Hello… what's all this, then?" he said, pulling the girl's hands away from her face.

"P – Please do not say any-" Platinum whispered, but it was too late.

"You're blushing!" Gold exclaimed. "Ha! I knew it! You-"

"Gold!" Crystal yelled from behind. "Get back here! Don't ruin their moment!"

"There… there is no m – moment!"

"Aww… how cute!" Sapphire squealed. She suddenly elbowed Ruby in the ribs. "Why can't you do something like that for me?"

"Ow… What, hug you? That'd be like trying to hug a wild thrashing Ursaring!"

"I meant making me a birthday gift like this, smartass! At most you make some sissy dress. You could learn something from Dia."

"P – Please, seniors!" Platinum started again. "Perhaps w – we should light the candles?" she suggested in a desperate attempt to change the topic.

"Sure," Blue said, suddenly rising from her seat. "But first…" She put her right hand on the back of Platinum's neck and the left hand on Diamond's. Then, she pushed the two together, _forcing_ them to kiss.

Though the two Sinnoh Dex Holders broke away almost instantly, their faces were still as red as red could get. Some of the Dex Holders started to clap and cheer. Slowly, Platinum looked into Diamond's eyes, and he looked back at her.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" Blue whispered to them while clapping.

"Diamond, c – could it be that… you… l – like me?"

Diamond shook his head. "No, I… _love_ you." Then, he kissed her to prove it.

Platinum, overjoyed, hugged him tight again and kissed him back. "Oh, Diamond, I love you too!"

"Yeah, Dia! You're the man!" Gold cheered. He tried to cheer again when Crystal smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow!"

"Don't ruin it!" she hissed.

Through the continuous applause of their seniors, Diamond and Platinum took their seats at the table. The heiress looked extremely happy as she leaned against Diamond and held his hand.

"This was the greatest birthday I have ever experienced. Thank you, Diamond…"


	8. Unexpected and NYP

**A short one for Silver & Soul, because Dec 24 being Silver's birthday and all. In the next update, this one-shot will be placed on top of the next one-shot, since this is too short to take up a whole chapter on its own. Also, since this had been done rather... hastily, it may have some grammatical errors. Sorry for that.**

**January 1st edit: the next one-shot is now placed on the bottom. Enjoy!**

**Primary: Silver & Soul****.**

* * *

Unexpected:

Mahogany Town, Johto, 7 pm…

Silver sat in his room in the Pokémon Center, staring through the window. It was snowing quite a lot and there was a thick layer of snow on the ground.

Silver sighed, grateful that he could spend his birthday quietly. He remembered what happened to Crystal during her birthday, and as such, he stayed away from the other Dex Holders (particularly Blue) during his birthday. The last thing he wanted was to be embarrassed in front of everyone.

Blue had already called to wish him a happy birthday. It seemed that, for once, she didn't have anything planned (thankfully). Crystal too, had called him and wished him a happy birthday. Of those who knew when his birthday was, Gold was the only one who didn't call. He probably forgot a long time ago, anyways.

Silver shrugged. He didn't care. He had no idea when Gold's birthday was either, and it would most likely stay that way forever.

After a stretch, he rose to his feet. Since it was his birthday, maybe he'd go get something good to eat. He always ate something he packed, but this time, maybe he'd go to a restaurant or something. He grabbed his coat and after ensuring that he had his wallet, left his room.

The hallways were rather loud and busy. Because of the weather, many people have chosen to stay indoors, and naturally, they were making lots of noise. Silver made a note to himself that perhaps he should stay at another Pokémon Center, perhaps somewhere where the weather is better.

Before long, he reached the main desk of the Pokémon Center, where lots and lots of people were gathered. Ignoring the crowd, Silver walked towards a wall where a detailed map of Mahogany was posted. Not too far away from the Pokémon Center, there was a decent restaurant that served good food for moderate price. He pulled out his wallet to check the amount of money he had. He planned on purchasing Christmas gifts for a few people. Well, 3 people. Blue (for obvious reasons), Crystal (for remembering his birthday), and of course…

"Happy birthday, Silver!" a cheerful female voice squealed from behind.

Out of surprise, Silver dropped his wallet. Perhaps he heard wrong? There were only two people (apart from Giovanni) who remembered his birthday. Crystal was helping out Professor Oak in Hoenn, and Blue was in Viridian, probably bothering Green. So… who could this be? That voice sounded too familiar for comfort.

Calmly, Silver picked up his wallet and turned around. Upon seeing the mystery girl, he dropped his wallet again.

"… Soul?" he muttered, utterly shocked.

"Hi, Silver! Did you miss me?" she asked happily. "I bet you didn't expect to see me, huh?"

"How… how did you find me? And how do you know that it's my birthday today?"

"A new friend of mine told me," Soul replied as she picked up Silver's wallet. "She told me where to find you too."

Silver froze. He could guess what happened. He took his wallet back and after securing it in his pocket, put both of his hands on Soul's shoulders.

"How did you meet her? _Who_ introduced you?" he asked somewhat desperately.

Soul smiled. "Well, he told me not to tell you, but… I'll tell you anyway! It was Gold. A few days ago, he took me to Viridian City in Kanto and he introduced me to an older girl named Blue. And earlier today, she told me that it was your birthday today, and that you were staying in Mahogany Town."

"Gold… damn him…" Silver muttered angrily. "Do you know _why_ he randomly introduced you to sis?"

"Well, he said "now Crys must never hear of _that_ incident," but that's all I heard."

Silver sighed. Gold had been (once again) blackmailed. So it really wasn't his fault. But then again, if he hadn't mentioned Soul to Blue in the first place, this whole thing wouldn't have happened.

'_Interesting… perhaps I should find out what this 'incident' is. Maybe I should get Gold a gift too. I'll just borrow an Electrode from Crys and send it to Gold. It IS the season of giving, after all. Merry Christmas, you son of a-_'

"Anyways, Silver, I came here to wish you a happy birthday and to buy you dinner," Soul said with another smile. "Normally you should be buying me dinner, but since this is your birthday, I'm willing to let it pass. So what do you say? It'd be just the two of us."

Silver looked surprised again. "Uh… sure, that sounds good." '_I should thank sis for this. Perhaps a pair of winter boots for sis, a scarf for Crys, an Electrode for Gold, and… whatever Soul wants…_'

Soul winked at him and began to pull on his arm. "Well then, come on, Silver. I know this great restaurant not too far away."

Silver smiled as he followed. "Thanks, Soul. This is rather… unexpected, but thanks anyways."

"No problem, Silver. And again, happy birthday!"

* * *

**January 1st edit: the next one-shot has arrived!**

**Beware: like Unexpected, this one was also done rather hastily, thus may have some errors. Sorry.**

**Primary: Ruby & Sapphire****.**

* * *

New Year's Party:

Route 101, Hoenn…

Sapphire hung upside down on a tree in Route 101, waiting for the other Dex Holders to arrive. It was a gathering for the New Year's party. The location was set in Lavaridge Town's hot springs. It may not be the most suited location for the party, but Sapphire felt that some parties really should take place _outside_, not indoors. And besides, with the chilly weather, the hot springs would feel very pleasant.

"Hey, Sapphire!" came Ruby's voice from below.

"What?"

"There's been a problem! You better come back home!"

Surprised, Sapphire quickly jumped down and ran back to Littleroot. In her home, she could see Gold's image on the picture phone. For some reason, he had band-aids all over his face.

"Yeah, uh… about that New Year's party," Gold began, rubbing the back of his neck. "I can't go there," he said after a pause.

"Why not?" Sapphire asked.

"Well… let's just say that some smartass whose name begins with S and ends with R sent me a bomb for Christmas, and I'm still busy pulling splinters out of my ass."

Sapphire looked confused. '_Someone sent a bomb?_'

"And I think someone whose name begins with C and ends with L may have been involved too. So the very first place I'm going to visit this year is wherever these two smartasses are, but it won't be any time soon. Sorry, but you won't see me there today."

Gold hung up afterwards, leaving Sapphire a little disappointed. But even without Gold, there was still a total of 12 Dex Holders.

… Or so she thought…

Soon, Sapphire received another call, this one from Sandgem Town of Sinnoh. Apparently, Platinum had been ill for quite some time and her condition had become a little worse, preventing her from leaving her room, let alone go all the way to Hoenn. And with the heiress sick, Diamond had chosen to stay by her side until she recovered. And Pearl (who was with Diamond and Platinum in the Berlitz Mansion) said that he would spend the day with his father in Twinleaf.

Sapphire sighed. Now there were 9 left…

The next one to call was Crystal. But unlike the other calls, she seemed eager for the party.

"So, I'm assuming that you _can_ come?" Sapphire asked hopefully.

"Of course," Crystal replied. "I wouldn't want to miss it."

"Well, that's good. Because Gold and the Sinnoh trio said that they can't come."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Platinum's sick, Dia is staying with her, Pearl is staying home with his dad, and Gold is… well, he's apparently busy recovering from a bomb that you and Silver sent."

Crystal blinked. "What? Silver and I sent a bomb to him?" she asked, utterly confused.

Sapphire nodded. "He said "some smartass whose name begins with S and ends with R sent me a bomb for Christmas" and "someone whose name begins with C and ends with L may have been involved". He said that he'll visit those two 'smartasses' once he recovers."

Crystal looked somewhat angry. "He's blaming me? I took him all the way to Cianwood City that day!"

"So why did you send a bomb?"

"I didn't! I…" Crystal trailed off, having a thought occur. "Oh, now I see… Silver asked me whether he could borrow an Electrode earlier that day, and I lent one to him. _He_ must've sent that Electrode over to Gold, and had it use Explosion… And Gold blames _me_ for that? He called me a smartass because of that?"

"Um…" Sapphire started, thinking of something to say that'll calm her senior.

"That jerk! I'm going over to him right now!" Crystal yelled, hanging up.

Sapphire turned to face Ruby with a depressed look. "Well, it looks like she's not coming either."

"Your fault," Ruby said. "You just _had_ to tell her what Gold said…"

The next several calls were all about Dex Holders NOT coming as well. Silver said that he couldn't because someone (Soul) was nagging at him to take her somewhere. According to Yellow, Red had forgotten about the party itself and had disappeared somewhere to train, and she was going to try and find him. Blue said that she was going to stay home and spend time with her parents (first New Year's with them in 15 years, as she always spent New Year's with other Dex Holders), Green said he was busy (didn't specify), and Emerald wasn't coming since no one else was.

Sapphire slumped against the wall. "Well, it looks like it's just you and me…" she said to Ruby.

"Yeah… about that…" he started to look around, perhaps thinking of an excuse… "I think I hear dad calling me!" he said, trying to leave the room. He knew exactly what would happen if he were to have a party with _only_ Sapphire.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sapphire asked, grabbing him by the back of his shirt. "What's the matter? Are you afraid of going to the hot springs with just me?"

"Look, I don't remember what happened on Mirage Island, alright?" Ruby said, trying to free himself.

Sapphire grinned. "I didn't say anything about that."

Ruby stopped struggling. '_Crap… I shouldn't have said that…_' "Uh… force of habit…"

Instantly he broke free of Sapphire's grip and started to run. Because she was right behind him, he had no time to put his Running Shoes on (no shoes indoors). Knowing that he couldn't escape this time, Sapphire calmly put her shoes on, took Ruby's Running Shoes, and called her Tropius. Since Ruby had no Pokémon that could fly, there was nothing he could do to avoid her this time.

Ruby desperately ran away. His feet hurt because he had no shoes on, but he still had to run. That way, he could buy time to think of a response once Sapphire captures and interrogates him.

'_Okay… she knows why I'm running. If she asks whether I still love her, I can say that I can't answer, because one answer is a blatant lie and the other is too much for me to say. If she asks why I've been pretending to have forgotten all this time? Uh… … crap!_'

Sapphire smiled as she watched Ruby from high above. '_Ah… the perfect way to kick off the New Year… chasing Ruby and perhaps ending this constant chase once and for all…_' She thought for a moment. '_What should I say or do to end it?_'

Suddenly, she recalled the little "girls' meeting" she had with the other female Dex Holders a while back.

1 year ago…

"_There was something I wanted to teach to someone, but unfortunately, out of all the other girls, there had been no one who could've used this effectively enough to make it worth it," Blue said, looking at all the other female Dex Holders gathered. "However, now I see that there IS a candidate."_

"_What are you going to teach?" Crystal asked._

"_It's something that if you know how to use properly, it would make the likes of Red and Gold utterly HARMLESS to you."_

_Crystal sighed. "Oh… Now I see where you're going with this… and there's no way that I'll do that."_

"_I know, Crys. I wasn't expecting to teach you in the first place," Blue replied. "Yellow can't use it because it won't have enough effect. If you're too nervous, you'll mess it up. Crys can't use it as well, because her personality won't allow it."_

"_There's also pride, Blue," Crystal said with another sigh. "I feel it's degrading."_

_Blue narrowed her eyes. "Don't imply anything, Crys. I can make you regret that forever."_

_Crystal instantly became silent. Sapphire looked confused._

"_What about me?" she asked._

"_The way I see it, it'll only work against Ruby, and that's it. And I don't know whether it'll work all that well to begin with," Blue replied after a moment of thought. "Which then leaves you, Platinum. In fact, you are the candidate I was talking about."_

"_Me, senior?"_

"_Yes. I can tell that you'll be able to use this REALLY effectively. And I can't tell you how useful this is against Red. It's not __**degrading**__, and it'll maintain its effectiveness if you don't use it frequently. It's called using fake tears."_

_Platinum looked somewhat confused. "How would that be effective?"_

"_Have you ever noticed how much people around you panicked when you cried?" Blue asked._

_The heiress thought for a few seconds. She did recall what happened when she cried in front of Gold when he… tried something against her. She remembered him looking around, not knowing what to do, stammering, trying to make her stop, pretty much begging her not to cry…_

"_I remember…" she muttered._

"_Good. Now if you were to take advantage of such situations… Come with me, Platinum. I'll teach you how to use it properly. I'll teach you everything."_

Sapphire snapped out of her thoughts. '_That's it… fake tears… Only useful against Ruby, huh? Looks like I'll have to see exactly __**how**__ useful it is._' With a plan forming in her head, she aimed at Ruby (who was still running) and jumped off of her Tropius.

Ruby looked up just in time to see her fall towards him and acted just in time to catch her. From the momentum of the fall, he fell to the ground as well. Sapphire slowly rose to her feet, thinking of the most depressing moment of her life, trying to generate the tears necessary for this… trick.

"So, Ruby," she started slowly. "Tell me about that Mirage Island incident. Tell me why you've been lying to me." But before Ruby could say anything, she cut him off. "Do you still like me?"

"Uh… I can't answer that," Ruby said, just as he prepared. "One answer is a blatant lie and the other is too much for me to say."

"Why? Would it hurt my feelings?" Sapphire asked. '_Ugh this is just too… mushy for my taste. I'll never use this trick ever again…_'

"Huh? No, no, it's not like that, it's…"

"You know I still love you," Sapphire said with a sadder tone. '_Yuck… why the hell did I even consider doing this? Crap… it's too late to back out now…_' With much, _much_ effort, she dropped to her knees and started to cry. "You were lying to me when you said that you liked me, weren't you? How could you hurt my feelings like this on New Year's Day?"

Ruby froze. '_Is… is she crying?_' "H – Hey, listen…" His eyes opened wide in shock. He had seen this somewhere before… But where?

"_Look, I chased away the Salamence!"_

"_Scary… so scary…"_

'_The Salamence incident! She was crying then, on her knees, rubbing her eyes… just like now!_' Ruby started to panic; _really_ panic. '_No, no, no… not again… I tainted her crystal clear heart last time… I don't want to know what I did this time!_'

Sapphire continued to cry, feeling miserable. '_I feel so f*cking stupid…_'

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…" Ruby stammered. "No, Sapphire, please don't cry, please!"

'_Hey, it works!_' "Then tell me the truth!" Sapphire yelled.

"Okay, okay… just please stop crying!" Ruby begged desperately. "Okay, the truth is…"

"What?" '_Quit stalling!_'

"I always liked you, and after that Salamence incident, I gave up on the path of strength so I could be more like you… well, the way you _used_ to be. Then, when we met again, you changed so much, yet you still liked me. I couldn't believe that you liked a weird guy like me… and I was afraid that if we were to… you know, be in a relationship, you'd be disappointed in me."

'… _What? __**THAT**__'s the reason?_' Sapphire desperately suppressed the urge to smirk. "That's a stupid-ass wor- I mean… um… … Really?"

"Yeah… Sorry for lying to you. But I really do like you."

With a smile, Sapphire hugged Ruby. Surprised, he carefully hugged her back. He felt that if he didn't, she would snap him in half. At any rate, he was glad that she wasn't crying anymore.

"Hey, let's go to Lavaridge. There's an appointment with the hot springs, after all," Ruby said nicely.

Sapphire rose to her feet. "Sure. Why not? It'll be just the two of us, right?"

"Of course."

"Great. Let's go then!" '_This day didn't turn out bad after all. So the fake tears really do work. But I rather die before I use it again. But then again, it looks like I won't have to anymore._'

Upon calling her Tropius again, Sapphire hopped on and with Ruby, headed towards Lavaridge Town.

* * *

**The next ****3**** one-shots will be all Diamond & Platinum. Call it a D&Pt ****burst****. The reason is that I have some ideas leftover for Diamond & Platinum, and I might forget about them if I keep cycling around the various pairings.**


	9. The Wedding

**Th****is is the**** first one-shot of the Diamond & Platinum ****burst****. This one-shot is not related to any other one-shot so far.**

**MISC: ****Nicknames****.**

**I'll follow Coronis's nicknaming schemes (example: Sapphire's Blaziken as Chaka, Gold's Typhlosion as Explotaro). The hell with the 'official' nicknames (example: Gold's Typhlosion as Exbo?). If there are some… problems with those nicknames, then I'll use the original ones (example: Sapphire's Blaziken as Chamo, Gold's Typhlosion as Bakutarou).**

**This also means that some characters' names will be in Coronis's translation. Such as… Jagura (the little midget that constantly got his ass kicked) and Courtney (Magma Admin, appears in Ruby version). Once again, if there are problems, then I'll use the original ones (Jagura as Chakura, Courtney as Kagari).**

**Primary: Diamond & Platinum****.**

* * *

The Wedding:

Dex Holders' emergency meeting, Pallet Town…

Blue sat at a large table, lost in deep thought as the other Dex Holders looked at her. She had been the one to call for this emergency meeting, and several Dex Holders wanted to know why. However, the Sinnoh Dex Holders were not there, as the emergency regarded them.

"As some of you may know," Blue started slowly. "Platinum is getting married in 4 days."

The other Dex Holders remained silent, but Crystal sighed. She had heard the news with Blue, and she also knew of the problem with the marriage.

"She's marrying some rich guy who will inherit a big company," Blue continued. "But yesterday, Platinum came to me and Crys and told us that she really doesn't want to marry him. She already tried to convince her father, but apparently it hasn't worked out. Her father says that it's the best for her, and won't allow her to back out. She wants us to help her, and that's why I called for this meeting."

Crystal closed her eyes and recalled when Platinum came to her. The heiress was crying so much, saying that she loved Diamond and only him and that she wouldn't marry anyone else. But she couldn't disobey her father so she has no choice but to marry someone she doesn't like in any way. But what made her cry the most was Diamond. Ever since he heard of her wedding, he had been ignoring her completely. Platinum felt that she really needed to talk to him, but he never answered her calls or opened the door whenever she tried to visit. The heiress was really afraid of losing him and felt as if her life was falling apart. Crystal sighed once again and focused on the meeting.

"So what are we going to do?" Sapphire asked.

"Simple," Blue replied after a moment of thought. "We secretly intervene. The wedding is in 4 days so we have to hurry. First, Red and Green, go to Hearthome City and find where the wedding will take place, and draw a detailed map with all possible escape routes."

Red and Green looked at each other, wondering why exactly they had to take orders. Red simply shrugged and Green sighed, but they agreed to do as told.

"Next… Yellow, go to Platinum and try to calm her down. Tell her that we'll ensure that she won't be marrying her 'fiancée' but that she needs to pretend that she doesn't know anything. She'll understand and know exactly what to do. And tell her that when the time comes, she needs to slap her fiancée as hard as she can. Next, Silver and Sapphire, go find out where Platinum's fiancée lives, but don't be seen. I'll give you the specific instructions before you leave, but you'll need to complete that task within two days. Gold and Crys, go find Soul and tell her to wait for me in her home tomorrow, and stay with her. Tell her that it's important, and it's related to Platinum. She met her a few times before, so she should be more than willing to help. And last, Ruby and Emerald, once Red and Green return, you'll go to Hearthome City and do exactly as I tell you."

Blue took a deep breath and closed her eyes, going over her plan in her head. Once she was certain that her plan would work, she smiled and continued.

"Gold, you're the best at ruining fancy parties, so you'll get the most important role."

4 days later, 3 hours before the wedding…

Diamond stared through the windows in his home, with a blank expression on his face. Platinum was getting married… She was his girlfriend for so long, and all of a sudden she was marrying someone else. He felt so betrayed… Platinum had called him several times, but he didn't answer or call back. Several times he heard someone knock on the door, and from the gentle knocks, he could tell that it was the heiress trying to reach him. She would knock on his door for a couple of hours before she would go away. And this happened rather frequently.

A few times when Pearl came to visit, he let him in once he was sure that Platinum was not nearby. The hasty Dex Holder understood what his friend was going through, and tried to cheer him up through comedy acts and taking him to comedy festivals (such as the one last night). He made no mention of Platinum or the wedding, as he knew that it would just make things worse.

And now the day had finally come. Though an invitation card did arrive on his doorstep, he tore it apart and threw the remains into the garbage. There was no way in hell that he would go to the wedding. He had absolutely no intention of seeing Platinum in a (no doubt) stunning dress, marrying some jerk that he had never seen before.

Suddenly a door knock snapped him out of his thoughts. From the gentle knocks, he knew it wasn't Pearl (whose knocks sound as if he'd break the door open), so he chose to ignore it. The door knocks continued a few more times before stopping. Diamond sighed. If it was Platinum, then he had just lost the last chance he had of talking to her. He knew that once she got married, he would avoid seeing her forever. But a familiar looking Butterfree appeared outside his windows, carrying Yellow who was waving at him.

'_What the…_' Diamond looked at his senior curiously. '_What's she doing here?_'

Yellow pointed at the door, signaling him to open. Diamond hesitated for a while before he walked downstairs to comply. He guessed that there was a good reason why his senior was here.

Meanwhile, Berlitz Mansion…

Platinum stood nervously as various maids were helping her with the wedding dress. Yellow had come to her a few days ago and told her that everything would be alright because Blue had a plan. The heiress didn't understand what her senior meant by 'slapping the fiancée as hard as possible when the time comes' but remembered it nonetheless. She had absolutely no idea what her seniors intended to do, but she had hoped that the solution would arrive before the marriage ceremony. But apparently that was not the case.

"Please hurry…" she muttered silently.

"We are trying, my lady," one of the maids replied. "But the dress is very delicate."

Platinum almost jumped in surprise, as she wasn't talking to the maids. She was wishing that her seniors would hurry, but spoke it out loud unconsciously. Luckily the maids didn't understand what she actually meant.

With a sigh, she looked at the direction of Twinleaf Town. Last night, she was over there trying to talk to Diamond one last time. She was there for hours, knocking constantly even after her hands hurt. Though she had cried out his name many times, there was no sign of movement inside. She had gone over to Pearl's house, but he was not home as well. The heiress feared that Pearl had dragged Diamond away on a journey so that he may forget about her entirely.

Platinum felt tears falling from her eyes. She didn't bother trying to stop or wipe them away. She couldn't bear the idea of losing Diamond. She just couldn't. The tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped onto her dress. Without warning, she started to sob. The maids suddenly looked up at her in surprise.

"Are you okay, my lady?"

Platinum shook her head as she buried her face into her hands. The clueless and senseless maids tried to 'comfort' her.

"I understand that this is a big and important moment for you, my lady, but please stop crying. The carriage will arrive in a minute and you will be able to see your loving fiancée before the wedding."

Platinum trembled as anger and frustration erupted. Angry words and insults ran through her mind (language she picked up from Gold, much to Crystal's dismay). '_No, you f*cking dumbass maids! I don't want to marry that ugly, arrogant, stupid son of a bitch of a fiancée! I HATE him, damn it!_' Of course, she would never say such things out loud, in the fear that she'll give her father and the old butler Sebastian heart attacks (they were waiting just outside the room). Platinum kept her mouth shut and tried to calm her anger. But she felt more and more despair as time came for her to get on the carriage…

Few hours later…

Platinum stood at the altar, trembling. She was trying her absolute best to not cry, but the disappointment of her seniors not doing anything was too much. Her vision was blurring with tears. It was a good thing that her moron of a fiancée didn't notice.

"Lady Berlitz," said the elderly priest quietly. Platinum looked at him. "Take a deep breath. Everything will be alright."

'_Alright? Everything is NOT alright…_' Platinum grumbled in her mind. She faked a smile and nodded. But… the priest was grinning, and the way he was grinning felt rather familiar… The heiress looked at the priest from head to toe. Then she noticed something odd. On the priest's robe, to the side, she could see what appeared to be a handle of a billiard cue… '_Senior Gold?_' Platinum smiled for real. '_So everything WILL be alright, after all!_'

Soon, the wedding process began. The heiress waited nervously for the intervention to begin while her idiot fiancée just grinned.

"If there is anyone who has cause why these two should not wed, let them speak now, or forever hold their tongue," said the priest.

Platinum held her breath, expecting someone to rise and say something. But to her horror, no one rose to intervene. She risked a glance at the seats. She couldn't see a single Dex Holder… She looked at the priest. He smiled and gave her a faint nod.

Much to her joy, the 'intervention' began shortly.

"Do you," started the priest, looking at the fiancée. "Er… whatever your name is, take Platinum Berlitz for your wife?"

The fiancée narrowed his eyes. He was about to speak when the priest interrupted him.

"Of course you don't," the priest said somewhat angrily. "You know, I tried to remain quiet about this, but there's something I need to say."

Platinum desperately tried to appear calm and questioning, while she was overjoyed inside. She was _supposed_ to be upset because the 'best day of her life' was being ruined.

"Yesterday, I saw you doing some… things, and I can't let this young lady marry you without knowing this," the priest started with a disgusted look. "Hey, bring that projector here," he suddenly yelled.

The heiress watched with interest as a servant and a maid pulled what appeared to be a video projector. Though they were in disguise, Platinum had been with them long enough to recognize the two as her seniors, Ruby and Sapphire.

"What is all this?" the fiancée yelled angrily.

"I saw you yesterday. You were doing such a heinous act that I had no choice but to record it on a video. If I didn't recognize you, I wouldn't have, but…"

The video started to play (being displayed by the projector) and Platinum looked with interest. The quality was quite low, but she recognized her moron fiancée, and though disguised (and hair dyed blue), she recognized Soul. In the video, her fiancée was busy trying to seduce her. Soul kept pushing him away but he pulled her by her hair and attempted to kiss her. Though Platinum assumed that the video was fake (if the video was real, then Silver would've snapped the fiancée in half), the voice and appearance of the fiancée were perfect.

"I – I never did that!" the fiancée yelled.

While the fiancée frantically tried to explain himself, Platinum snapped out of her thoughts when the priest gave her a nod. She remembered what she had to do, and tried to get herself as angry as possible.

"You cheated on me before you even married me!" the heiress screamed at her fiancée. Before he could even say a single word, she slapped him as hard as she could. '_That probably hurt quite a bit._' Afterwards, she burst into tears (tears of happiness, but no one else could tell) and ran off through the back door.

"Shame on you, you freak!" the priest yelled into the fiancée's face before he ran after the heiress.

Several people from the fiancée's side rose to their feet, starting to panic. The people on the Berlitz side were stunned speechless. Shortly after the priest exited the room, the fiancée started to chase her.

Once Platinum was out of the wedding room, she ran into Crystal who was waiting for her outside. They waited until the priest came out as well, and the three started to run. On the way, the priest's face started to _melt_. Platinum looked at him in surprise, and noticed that the face that was melting off was a Ditto (Blue's, obviously), revealing Gold's grinning face. He took off the voice modulator and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Good job, Gold," Crystal said as she led Platinum around a corner.

"Thank you so much, senior Gold," the heiress said happily.

"Don't thank me yet," Gold said.

Before long, they came across a fork in the hallway. Crystal reached into her bag and took out a pair of shoes. She turned to her junior and gave them to her.

"Take your high heels off. You'll run better with these shoes."

Platinum quickly stepped out of her high heels and put the shoes on. Crystal then took the high heels and threw one of them to the left hallway and headed right. The heiress and Gold followed. A few seconds later, the fiancée arrived at the intersection. He looked left and right, wondering where Platinum could have gone. Seeing how one of her high heels was on the left hallway, he assumed that she ran that way and ran after her. But a few seconds into that hall, the ground suddenly broke beneath him and he fell into a hole (a trap made by Ruby and Emerald).

Before long, the fiancée managed to crawl out of the hole. Realizing that he was tricked, he changed directions and ran down the path which Platinum actually took. A minute later, he came across another fork in the hallway. He could see the remaining high heel on the left hallway. Smirking, he headed right, thinking that he wouldn't be fooled twice. But a few steps around the corner and the ground collapsed beneath him once again.

Cursing, he climbed back out and resumed his pursuit. He _really_ wanted Platinum and he was desperate to prove to her that the tape was a fake. A minute later, he stopped running. A huge section of the floor was colored slightly differently. 3 tiles, within jumping distance of each other, were colored regularly.

The fiancée smiled. It was obviously a trap. Since the hallway he was on was the only path, there was no doubt that Platinum came here. The fiancée carefully crept closer and put just a little weight on the differently colored tile. As he expected, the floor started to creak loudly and sank a few centimeters. Laughing, he stepped back. He took aim at the regularly colored tile and leapt forward. As he expected, the tile remained firm. He carefully regained balance and leapt for the second tile.

The tile sank slightly when his foot landed on it, but nothing else happened. The fiancée sighed in relief… Then the tiles on the _ceiling_ fell down on his head. The tiles were quite heavy and they knocked him down to the different colored part of the floor. To his surprise, the floor sank another centimeter but _nothing else_.

Realizing that he was tricked again, the fiancée crawled away and rose to his feet. Whoever planned these traps were predicting his movements completely… Afraid of what might happen if he were to continue the pursuit, the fiancée gave up and slowly walked away. Then he stopped.

'_This is what they expect me to do!_' he thought. With a smirk, he turned around and bolted through the trap, continuing the pursuit.

Meanwhile, Platinum tried to regain her breath as her two seniors led her to a stop. She looked around, but it was a dead end.

"What now, senior?" she asked Crystal.

Gold simply knocked on the wall. To the heiress's surprise, the wall started to _open_. Outside, Red and Green waited for them, using their Snorlax and Machamp to open neatly cut sections of the wall.

Recognizing her seniors, Platinum smiled brightly and ran towards them. Once Gold and Crystal were out as well, Red and Green closed the wall and sealed it shut. A few seconds later, a large carriage turned around a corner and stopped right in front of the heiress. To her surprise, the driver of the carriage was Blue.

"Hey, Platinum! You're looking beautiful today!" her senior said happily.

Blue got off and opened the door, signaling the heiress to get on. She followed her junior shortly after.

"Green, take over," she commanded before shutting the carriage door.

With a sigh, Green tossed the Pokéball containing his Charizard to Red before he got onto the driver's seat of the carriage. He looked at the two Rapidash pulling the carriage and simply told them to run as fast as possible.

Red, Gold and Crystal stayed behind and waited. Before too long, Ruby and Sapphire arrived, having escaped through the front door. Sapphire had her Tropius, so Red tossed Charizard's Pokéball to Ruby. All 5 Dex Holders flew towards the carriage and followed.

Meanwhile, Blue explained to Platinum what happened. Upon hearing of the heiress's wedding, the older girl had sent Silver and Sapphire to spy on the fiancée, recording his appearance on a video and the voice as well. Those two were sent because they were the best at concealing themselves. Next, with the recorded voice and appearance, Blue got her Ditto to Transform into a mask with the fiancée's face, and made a voice modulator to match the voice. With them, she gave Gold the tools to dress up like the fiancée. Blue had already explained to Soul what she intended to do, and with Emerald's help, recorded a small video clip that had Gold (dressed like the fiancée) trying to seduce her.

Afterwards, Blue studied the map of the building in which the wedding would take place, and saw that the rear exit didn't have that many forks in the hallways. She sent Ruby and Emerald over there to make some traps. To ensure that no one else fell into the traps, they had made signs that the rear exit was being closed off for cleaning. During the wedding ceremony, Crystal was told to remove those signs. Blue had also told her where the traps were set, and how she should lure the fiancée into falling into them.

Then she used some Pokémon to cut off a section of the wall near the dead end and cleaned around the area to make it look normal. Then she had Red and Green to stand by the new door and opened it once Gold gave the signal. And Blue had told Ruby and Sapphire to seal off the path back to the wedding room with a big fake wall (essentially a massive cardboard wall that's been painted to look like a piece of the wall, to be adhered to the door) once they heard the fiancée fall into the second hole. Blue had already told Crystal to do the same with the building's rear exit, effectively making it appear that there was no way out.

Platinum thanked her seniors over and over for the rescue. She felt so happy that she didn't have to marry someone that she detested. Blue smiled and nodded, but she didn't tell her the entirety of her plan.

Around 3 hours later, the carriage came to a stop in front of a house. Platinum carefully stepped out and looked around. She recognized the place as Twinleaf Town…

Suddenly, the door of the house opened and Silver appeared on the doorway. He let the 8 Dex Holders (Red, Green, Blue, Gold, Crystal, Ruby, Sapphire, Platinum) inside before shutting the door once more.

Platinum thanked each and every one of her seniors for saving her. When she got to Yellow (who was last), she suddenly stopped. Her senior smiled and took a few steps back. The heiress was frozen in place, looking at…

"D – Diamond?"

Diamond too, was frozen in place, looking back at her. Yellow had told him of Blue's plan, but he was skeptical about it. He had suspicions that Yellow was only saying it to make him feel better. But seeing the heiress now in her stunning dress stunned him.

Platinum burst into tears and ran towards him, embracing him tight. Diamond snapped out and hugged her back, apologizing for being so cold to her for the past few days. The heiress apologized to him for not explaining to him what was happening. She kissed him to prove that she loved him, and he kissed her back. The heiress cried onto his chest, with tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks…

* * *

**Next up, the #2 of the DPt**** burst****, is the 'tomorrow' that was mentioned in Ski Trip. Planned to be titled as "The Horror" (or a variation), but there is nothing horrifying about it.**

* * *

Post Ending:

5 hours later…

"Where the hell did she go? And where's the exit? I don't get it! HELP!"


	10. The Horror

**From this point on, I will post Miscellaneous Information of the Single Chapter (humorously abbreviated to MISC) on top of various chapters. MISC is where I post miscellaneous information, such as Dex Holder ages, nicknaming schemes, and…**

**MISC: My Ideals on Swearing and Censoring (also abbreviated to MISC). When the tone is serious, there will be no censors. But when the tone is light or humorous, there will be various methods of censoring. The methods include regular censors (f*ck), cut-off (fu-****), and extending (example below). And that ends the MISC that contains MISC.**

**The 'tomorrow' of Ski Trip, and the second one-shot of the Diamond & Platinum ****burst****. Despite the title, this is NOT tragic.****Caution: it may feel a little rushed in the beginning.**

**Primary: Diamond & Platinum****.**

* * *

The Horror:

Diamond woke up from his sleep when Pearl suddenly hollered in his ear.

"Wake up! It's 10 am already!" the hasty Dex Holder yelled. "Get ready, and come downstairs in 10 minutes or I'll fine you 10 million PKD!"

9 minutes later…

Diamond slowly walked downstairs, where all the other Dex Holders were waiting. Pearl seemed to be tired of waiting, the other Dex Holders weren't paying attention to him, and Platinum was looking at him with a smile. She waved at him and he sheepishly returned the wave.

"Alright, now that everyone is here," Blue started. "We'll be heading to Snowpoint City. But first, we'll draw tickets."

"Draw what?" Gold asked.

"They're movie tickets. We're all going to watch a movie in the new theatre of Snowpoint City. I'll randomly draw the pre-paid movie tickets and I'll distribute to you guys."

"Why not just let us watch whatever movie we want?" Gold asked.

"Because these were the only tickets left. Everything else is sold out, apparently. And as for why you can't just pick a movie from a list is because… well, because. Anyways, first up," Blue said, reaching for her bag. "You, Ruby."

Ruby walked towards Blue and reached into her bag where a bunch of tickets were piled. After a few seconds, he drew a ticket (without looking, of course).

"Huh. A ticket for that new 3D movie…" Ruby said, examining the ticket.

"Okay. Ruby and Sapphire are watching that 3D movie," Blue said, digging through the bag to find the same ticket and giving it to Sapphire. "Next up, Yellow."

Ruby dropped his ticket. "Wait, Sapphire and I are watching the same movie?"

"Yes. NEXT!"

Sapphire blinked, confusion evident in her visible eye. She had never seen a movie before, let alone a 3D one… She took her ticket and looked at it thoroughly, trying to get a hint of what to expect from the small object.

Yellow drew a ticket, and as she had hoped, she would watch that movie with Red. Next, Blue drew a ticket for herself and Green, but Green had already escaped, upon realizing what would happen. It was painfully obvious what Blue was trying to do, and everyone knew it. The odd thing was that… no one minded. Except Red, however, who didn't suspect anything. Next up, Diamond approached Blue for his movie ticket.

"So I'll watch whatever movie with the Lady?" he whispered.

Blue nodded. Sighing in relief, he drew his movie ticket, and froze upon seeing what movie he had to watch. It was the movie that was known to be the _scariest_ horror movie ever made… He couldn't let Platinum watch such a movie… but he couldn't lose the opportunity to watch a movie alone with her either. He approached Platinum and showed her what movie they were watching.

Since the heiress had never watched a movie (or seen commercials for one either), she had no clue what to expect.

"Well, Super Serious Gal, it looks like we're up next," Gold said to Crystal. He stretched and approached Blue. "Alright… let's see what movie we'll get…"

He drew the ticket (only two left… one for him and the same one for Crystal), and upon looking at it, his face turned pale and he dropped to his knees. Blue took the last ticket and dropped in onto his hands as well.

"No, no, no! Please!" he begged to Blue. "Anything but this!"

Blue simply shrugged. "Once you draw a ticket, you're sticking with it."

Gold let out a long scream.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

'_Looks like he got a horror movie too,_' Diamond thought.

Crystal approached Gold and took her ticket. "Hey, nice! This is for that new romantic movie! It got really good reviews and ratings! I can't wait!"

Gold looked up at the sky (well, ceiling), and placing his hands on his temples, let out another long scream.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-"

"Alright then. Pearl, Emerald, and Silver, you three choose what movie you'd want to watch from these three tickets," Blue said with a smile, digging into her pocket and withdrawing three different tickets. "You're lucky that your girlfriend isn't here," she whispered to Silver right afterwards.

"Yeah… I know," he replied after a sigh of relief.

"Alright then, everyone! Let's go to Snowpoint!" Blue said, opening the door. "But first…" she left the lodge and stood outside. "Green! I have your movie ticket! GET BACK HERE!"

Ruby looked at Sapphire for a second before he left the lodge as well. Sapphire stumbled after him. Though she was pretending to be perfectly fine, it was getting harder and harder to ignore the fact that she had one eye (no depth perception). Ruby also noticed that she was stumbling every now and then, such as accidentally kicking something instead of walking over it. Since it _was_ his fault that she hurt her eye to begin with, he did his absolute best not to anger her in any way.

As Sapphire left the lodge, she accidentally hit her foot on the corner of the door, having guessed incorrectly the distance between the door and her toes.

"Ow! … Stupid door…" she grumbled silently as she hopped towards Ruby.

Crystal grabbed Gold by the wrist and with a bright smile, started to drag him out of the lodge while he was still screaming. She limped slightly from that skiing accident, but she got much better.

"Gold, shut up already," she said once she managed to drag him through the doorway.

"-UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

"Breathe too, Gold."

After taking a few deep breaths, Gold turned to face Silver who was laughing. "Silver, if you are really my friend, then relieve me of this misery and KILL ME!"

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Red asked, following.

"I've seen it already," Silver said as he sped past Gold. "_Someone_ forced me to watch it."

"Ah, your new _girlfriend_? How was it?" Gold asked, hoping for an answer that would alleviate his misery.

"Best two hours of…" Silver started, after a deep sigh. "… _S__leep_ I had in a long time."

"The movie is two hours long?" the goggled boy asked, surprised and horrified.

"No," Silver replied. "I tried my absolute best to stay awake, but… after an hour, I just couldn't help it."

"_THREE_ hours long? SH-"

"Gold! Stop swearing in front of Platinum!" Crystal yelled, smacking the goggled boy in the back of his head.

Luckily, the heiress was not listening, as she was busy talking to Diamond.

"Diamond, do you know what the movie is about?" she asked curiously.

Diamond struggled inside. He knew that the movie was supposedly the scariest film made, and that it is probably best that Platinum does _not_ watch the movie. But if he told her what he knew, that it was possible that she would not watch the movie (since all the other movies were sold out, it was either watch the horror movie or don't watch at all. And he really wanted to watch a movie with her). But if he doesn't tell her, then it would be considered as him lying to her. Maybe if he didn't tell her the _complete_ truth…

'_No… I promised that I wouldn't lie to her…_' "Well… I heard that it's the scariest movie made to date," he replied rather quietly. "It's a horror movie."

"A horror movie?" Platinum asked. "I have read some horror novels, but they were not scary at all. Perhaps the movies are more frightening?"

"Wait… you _want_ to watch it?"

"Yes. It is my first time, and I would prefer to experience what the movies are like."

"Lady, I really don't think that you should watch this movie," Diamond said with a worried tone.

"Everything is about experience, Diamond. It would be a shame if I miss the opportunity to experience the movie theatres. Then once I know what these horror movies are like, I can decide if I dislike them or not."

An hour later, the Dex Holders arrived in Snowpoint Theatre and scattered to watch their movies.

"Here," Ruby said as he handed Sapphire the 3D glasses.

Sapphire looked at him curiously. "What is that for?"

"You need to see through these to make the movie 3D," Ruby explained. He put his 3D glasses on and looked at Sapphire. "See? Like thi…" he trailed off upon looking at Sapphire's eyes… well, her visible eye, at least. '_Oh… right… she can only see through one eye… … crap._'

Sapphire crossed her arms and glared at Ruby. "What, are you mocking me because I can only see through one eye? Let me remind you that it was your fault!"

"How was I supposed to know that you'd chase me like that?" Ruby yelled back, officially making a scene in the middle of the theatre.

"If you weren't being such a big jerk, I wouldn't have!"

"Look, I'm sorry, alright? But it was supposed to be a prank! You were supposed to just laugh it off!"

"You know how much I hate the cold! Why would you pull a prank like that?"

While Ruby and Sapphire bickered, Crystal dragged Gold towards their designated theatre, avoiding eye contact with the Hoenn Dex Holders. It was bad enough that Gold kept complaining; Crystal didn't want to deal with the bickering duo as well.

An hour later…

Ruby kept glancing back and forth between the movie screen and Sapphire. He chose to sit close to the screen due to vision problems (near-sighted), and Sapphire chose to sit with him. Though she had been grumbling for quite some time, she had stopped once she started to get a headache. She was sitting too close to the screen for her comfort and because she could only see through one eye, the 3D movie was rather… difficult to enjoy. She was supporting her head with one arm with her visible eye closed. With the other hand, she kept touching the area around her injured eye.

"Hey, Sapphire?" Ruby whispered.

"What?" she said in a tired tone.

"Come, we're leaving."

"What? The movie's not over yet."

"I don't care. I'm going to take you to the hospital."

"I thought I told you yesterday that I'm fine. I don't need to go to the hospital."

"Yeah. It was stupid of me to believe that. It's clearly bothering you, and I definitely think that a doctor should take a look. Come on."

Sapphire sighed. "Fine. Whatever," she said, rising to her feet. In truth, she was worried about her eye as well.

Meanwhile…

Crystal sat with an embarrassed look on her face while many people in the theatre stared in her direction. Well, they were staring at Gold who was sitting next to her. He had been sleeping for about half an hour now (and the movie started 40 minutes ago), and though he was quiet for quite some time, he was now snoring. Very, very loud. So much that Crystal couldn't hear the movie.

She suddenly elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ow, fu-"

Crystal elbowed him again, harder. "Can't you just sit there and be quiet?" she whispered angrily.

"Clearly, I can't, Super Serious Gal," Gold replied after a yawn. "Just wake me up when this boring thing's over."

Meanwhile…

Diamond sat frozen in his seat with his eyes glued to the movie screen. Though his eyes were on the screen, he wasn't watching the movie. His entire focus was on his right arm, which Platinum was essentially hugging. The heiress had buried her face into Diamond's shoulder, trying to avoid looking at the terrifying scenes of the horror movie.

When the half-deteriorated skeleton dropped from the ceiling, Diamond felt his arm go numb from Platinum squeezing it too hard. He took his eyes off the screen for a second to look at the heiress. She had a terrified expression on her face, and he realized that while he was happy that she was so close to him, she was suffering quite a bit from the movie. Or as someone would put it, he was tainting her crystal clear heart.

"Uh… Lady? Are you okay?" he asked quietly. The heiress shook her head. "Maybe it's best for you if we stop watching this. Come on, let's get out of here."

Platinum followed without a word as he led her out of the theatre. He took her outside of the building, hoping that the calm atmosphere and cold air would calm her down. Before too long, she seemed to have gotten over the shock of seeing all those horrifying scenes.

"I – I am sorry, Diamond… you warned me about the horror movies, but I had to see it for myself. And because of me, you are not watching the movie either."

"No, it's fine. I didn't like the movie either."

The heiress closed her eyes for a split second before she opened them. "When I close my eyes, I – I can still see the scenes from the movie…"

"That's… not good," Diamond said in a worried tone. "Well, come with me then. We have to make you forget those scenes, or you won't be able to sleep for a while. So the first thing we should do is… get lunch, I suppose. I'm starting to get hungry."

The heiress forced a smile. "Diamond, you are always hungry. But if you say that this will help me forget those scenes, then I believe you."

A few hours later…

Diamond and Platinum waited outside the theatre, talking about what they would do once they returned home. Before long, Ruby and Sapphire approached them, having returned from the hospital.

"Seniors Ruby and Sapphire? Were you not watching the movie?" Platinum asked.

"No, I was worried about her eye, so I took her to the hospital," Ruby replied, glancing at Sapphire.

"How is your eye, senior?" the heiress asked Sapphire. "I recall the wound being quite deep."

"Well, the guys say that the eye isn't hurt. They say that I can remove the bandages tomorrow. Looks like your medical thing worked really well. Thanks, Platinum."

"But you still need to take things easy until you fully recover," Ruby warned. "Such as… using this," he said, holding a walking staff. "This'll help you walk. That way, you won't stub your toes or kick things when you walk."

Sapphire took the staff and while pretending to examine it, struck Ruby's leg with it. "Again, it was your damn fault that this happened to me."

Platinum looked back and forth between Ruby and Sapphire as they started to bicker again. As she watched with interest, the door opened from behind and Gold and Crystal came out. The goggled boy let out a long yawn and stretched while Crystal was dabbing at her eye with a tissue.

"That movie was-" Crystal started after a sniff.

"Boring as fu-" Gold attempted to finish when Crystal elbowed him in the ribs again. "Ow. I swear, Super Serious Gal, one of these days, I'm going to have a fractured rib."

"Gold. Stop. Swearing!" Crystal yelled. "Platinum's right here!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Anyways, it was one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen," Crystal said to Platinum. "You would've liked it very much. How was your movie?"

Platinum shuddered. "It… it was terrifying."

Crystal looked confused. "What movie did you watch?" she asked. The heiress showed her the ticket. "Oh… ouch. Yeah, it probably wasn't the best idea for you to watch that."

Before long, the other Dex Holders exited the theatre and together, headed back towards the lodge. On the way, Diamond noticed how Platinum still seemed to be under the effect of the horror movie. During lunch, she had a dark expression on her face, and every time someone snapped her out of her thoughts, she jumped in surprise with a frightened expression. Feeling guilty, Diamond quickly approached her and tried his best to comfort her. She seemed to appreciate his continued concern, as her expression visibly lightened.

Gold, seeing this, went up to Emerald and tapped him on the shoulder. He then pointed at Platinum and gave a slight nod. The shorter boy grinned and ran past Platinum, preparing something. Gold approached Silver and began to talk, to appear innocent from all that was about to happen.

"So… did Soul yell at you or give you a hard time for falling asleep during the movie?"

"Diamond, though you have helped significantly, I still see scenes of the movie when I close my eyes… It is rather frightening…" Platinum said in a slightly scared tone.

"The only thing you need is time. Eventually these scenes will not be scary anymore, and you'll be able to forget about them."

"I certainly hope so…"

Suddenly, as she entered the shadow cast by a large tree, a body dropped from the branches and stopped right in front of the heiress's face. The body let out a terrible moan as it hung upside down.

Platinum shrieked and quickly buried her face into Diamond's shoulder. Diamond once again froze in place as the heiress started to cry. After a few seconds he snapped out of his infatuation and embraced her and tried to soothe her. Emerald (the body) dropped onto the ground and upon seeing his junior cry, simply stood there, not knowing what to do. Crystal, who was talking to Blue about the movie she watched, quickly ran towards Platinum.

"Emerald! What's wrong with you?" she yelled as she tried to calm the heiress. Then, realizing that Emerald probably wouldn't have thought of the prank himself, Crystal turned to glare at Gold. As expected, he was avoiding eye contact and was faking innocence. "GOLD!"

"What?" the goggled boy said, faking confusion. Crystal stomped towards him and dragged him towards Platinum by his ear. "Ow, ow, ow! What's wrong with you?"

"You just had to make Platinum cry!"

"What do you mean? Did you not see me having a conversation with Silver? Why do you _always_ assume it's me?"

"Because it always _is_ you!"

Diamond stood with his feet planted on the ground, gently patting the heiress's back. As she slowly started to calm down, he led her towards the lodge while the other Dex Holders stayed behind, watching amusedly as the two troublemakers were being punished (buried in the snow for 10 minutes).

Later that night…

Platinum looked up from her novel when the door opened. Diamond had left a few minutes ago so that he could go to sleep. The heiress chose to stay up a little later (and finish the chapter of her novel). From the open door, Ruby came inside, carrying Sapphire. From the severe fatigue from the day, she had fallen asleep and Ruby had come to put her on the bed.

"Good night, Platinum. I'll see you in the morning," he said on his way out.

The heiress looked at her sleeping senior and did her best to tuck her in properly. Afterwards, in order to ensure that Sapphire sleeps well, the heiress put the heater on max and shut off the lights. She then entered her sleeping bag on the couch (where she slept while her injured senior slept on the bed) and tried to sleep.

3 hours later…

Diamond woke up when he felt his Pokégear vibrate (had it on silent for the night). He slowly climbed out of his sleeping bag and crawled towards the table where his Pokégear was. He could see Pearl still sleeping (and snoring) on the bed (Diamond had lost the game of Rock-Papers-Scissors that day).

"Hello?" he answered sleepily and quietly.

"D – Diamond? Were you sleeping?" came Platinum's voice quietly.

"Uh… I was a few seconds ago," Diamond answered truthfully. "What's wrong?"

"I… I cannot sleep…"

"Oh… uh…" Diamond thought for a second, wondering what he could do to help.

Platinum thought for a second on what she should say.

"… Platinum? Are you still awake?" came Sapphire's sleepy voice.

"Yes, senior… I apologize for waking you up."

"Why don't you go over to Dia? I'm sure he'll be glad if you do," Sapphire said after a long yawn. "That is the second phase of your plan, right?"

The heiress thought for a few seconds. She hoped that Diamond didn't hear that. "Diamond? Would it be too troublesome if I go to you?"

"Huh? Oh, no, it won't be a problem at all," Diamond replied.

"Thank you, Diamond."

Diamond hung up his Pokégear and rose to his feet. He walked towards the bed and shook Pearl awake.

"Pearl, the Lady's coming here. So… uh… scoot."

"You can't be serious…" Pearl grumbled, sitting up. "You're kicking me out? In the _middle of the night_?"

"Well… yes. Go share a room with someone else for the rest of tonight."

Continuously grumbling, Pearl got off the bed and with his sleeping bag, opened the door. He could see the heiress standing outside, looking around rather fearfully.

"Enjoy the bed, Miss Lady," the hasty Dex Holder grumbled out. "I kept it warm for you, apparently."

"I am so sorry, Pearl," the heiress said. "If there is anything I-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Pearl waved her off and knocked on the door closest to his original room.

Platinum entered Diamond's room where he was waiting for her. The heiress pretended to be frightened as she quickly approached him. While the horror movie was scary, she wasn't as scared as she was pretending to be. This was all just an act so that she could be with Diamond for the night. The heiress had told her plan to Sapphire, so that she knew about the alarm that will ring in the middle of the night, which was how the heiress woke up.

She wanted to spend time with him alone so that she may finally find out how he feels for her and tell him how she feels. She was too embarrassed to say it in front of all her seniors during the day, so she had been looking for an opportunity.

Diamond led her onto the bed and tucked her in. He stood by her and asked if she felt alright.

"I do not think that I can sleep," the heiress replied.

Diamond thought for a second before he sat on the bed next to her. Platinum leaned towards him and he put an arm around her.

"There. Is that better?"

"Yes. This is much better. Thank you."

"I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."

Platinum let out a long satisfied sigh. She slowly sat up and looked at Diamond.

"Diamond, I must ask you something."

"Huh? What is it?"

"Do you… like me?" she asked, deeply blushing. She was sure glad that the lights were off.

"Uh… W – W – Why do you ask?" Diamond stammered, also blushing. He too, was glad that the lights were off.

"I do not know. I just had a feeling," the heiress replied. She held her breath and waited for the answer, her heart racing.

"Uh… W – Well, to be c – completely truthful," Diamond started nervously. "Uh… P – Please don't think of me a – any differently. I – I… loved you since I first saw you," he whispered at the end.

Diamond shut his eyes, half-expecting something bad. Maybe she'll get angry? If so, why did she ask? Maybe she liked someone else and was just checking? Maybe-

Suddenly, he felt her lips touch his, and his eyes snapped open. After the kiss that took like a millisecond, the heiress leaned on his arm and let out a satisfied sigh again.

"Thank you Diamond. I have always loved you as well."

Sighing in relief, Diamond put an arm around her once again and closed his eyes. He was sure glad that he watched that horror movie with her…

Meanwhile…

Pearl knocked on the door once again. This time, the door quickly opened and a billiard cue shot straight towards him, stopping mere centimeters away from his stomach.

"Oh. I was expecting someone else," came Gold's voice from inside the room. The billiard cue was raised so that the tip was now on the same elevation as Pearl's face. "Why are you here, and who sent you?"

"Uh… Miss Lady came over and Dia kicked me out of the room, so I need to sleep somewhere else. Can I share the room with you? For tonight only?" Pearl asked, looking back and forth between the near-indestructible billiard cue and the silhouette of Gold (still in his room, with the lights off).

"Hands above your head and spin around," Gold instructed. "Now, back away."

Pearl did as told, and Gold stepped out. He scanned the floor around them and soon withdrew his billiard cue.

"Okay. I was afraid that Super Serious Gal sent someone to retaliate what I did to her a couple of nights ago. Come on in. I'll take the bed, and you can sleep in the corner of the room."

Pearl sighed. It was at least better than sleeping in the halls…

Few minutes later…

Diamond checked on Platinum. The heiress was fast asleep, still leaning onto him. Diamond carefully got off the bed so that Platinum may sleep comfortably. After looking at her sleeping form for a few more seconds, he kissed her goodnight and returned to his sleeping bag.

It really _was_ a good idea to watch that horror movie with her after all. Now, if the Berlitz family would approve, he would take Platinum on a date or something…

* * *

**Next up: the last of the Diamond & Platinum burst.**


	11. Playing the Game

**This is the 'last night' that is mentioned in Ski Trip. I mentioned some events in Ski Trip about the 'last night' but left out the details because they were there at one point, but cut out because it was getting too long.**

**Primary: Diamond & Platinum.**

* * *

Playing the Game:

All 13 Dex Holders sat around the living room of the lodge, taking a look around the inside. Platinum dug into her purse and withdrew 10 sets of keys.

"I am terribly sorry, but the biggest lodge that I could rent only had 10 bedrooms," she said, standing in the middle of the room. "Since there are 13 of us, six of us will need to share rooms."

"Who's going to share rooms?" Red asked.

"I do not know. I was hoping that there would be a suggestion."

Blue stood up. "I got it; rock-paper-scissors. The loser will have to pick someone, from the same gender, to share a room."

Everyone agreed, so the first game of the day began. In the first round, Pearl lost. And as expected, he chose to share a room with Diamond.

"We might as well practice some comedy acts for the upcoming show," he said as he tapped Diamond on his shoulder.

In the next round, Yellow lost. She turned to look at Crystal, but remembering that she was the birthday girl, turned to face Blue. The older girl smiled and nodded. In the final round, Platinum lost, thus she had to select Sapphire.

Platinum handed out the room keys, and once everyone found their rooms and put their bags away in the rooms, all headed outside to the large field. While Platinum divided the large field into four equal segments (a large X starting from the middle to the 4 edges of the field), Blue turned to face the rest of the Dex Holders.

"Alright everyone," she said, gaining everyone's attention. "I know you're all hungry. I am too. But Platinum and I planned a game that we're going to play. The game will be a snowball fight. We'll divide into 4 groups and we'll all have 30 minutes to create walls and other covers that will be used during the game. The rules are simple. If you get hit by a snowball, you're out. The first team to be completely eliminated will be in the last place, then the third, and so on. The team that gets the first place will get to eat full 5 star quality lunch. The second place will get 3 star quality, and half of the amount of the first place. The third place just gets to eat dessert, and the last place gets an apple and a glass of water."

"The last place just gets one apple and one glass of water? That's harsh!" Gold yelled. He turned to face Crystal. "Sorry, Super Serious Gal. But neither of us can really throw that well. It looks like we're going to be last."

"And you think that we'll be in the same team why?" she said, crossing her arms.

Blue smiled. "The teams are simple. We'll divide by regions. So Crys, you're with Gold and Silver."

"Oh…" Crystal groaned. She glared at Gold. "Just don't screw it up."

"And to ensure that no team stalls unnecessarily," Platinum said, joining Blue after dividing the field evenly. "We shall have one hour for this game. If no teams are eliminated by that time, every team is considered to be in the last place. If three teams remain, then the three teams are in the third place, and so on."

Yellow raised a hand. "Um… I don't like throwing snowballs at people… do I have to play?"

"You can be the referee. And pick a team that you think is going to win, and whatever place that team scores, you'll be considered to be in it as well, so you'll get the same lunch as them," Blue said. She handed Yellow a whistle and a watch. "Here, blow the whistle to start the 30 minutes to create cover then blow the whistle again the start the game. When the time is up, blow the whistle again."

"Okay. I think that the Kanto team will win. And…" Yellow suddenly blew into the whistle.

The Kanto Dex Holders quickly rushed to their corner of the field and began building a series of covers of varying heights. Platinum, copying her Kanto seniors, got her two friends to build a series of covers as well. While Gold built a giant wall, Crystal and Silver built a different shaped wall to protect against snow-mortar shots. Ruby and Sapphire built a large barricade while Emerald made ammunition for the snowball fight.

Yellow, watching the four teams building their bases, blew into the whistle when 30 minutes passed. The other 12 Dex Holders quickly dived into their covers.

"Remember, you can't leave your team's corner and avoid hitting people in the face!" Blue yelled from behind her cover. "And pretend to be dead if you get hit!"

Red and Green exchanged looks and nodded. Red picked up several snowballs and randomly hurled them towards the other teams while Green moved closer to the farthest cover in Kanto team's space. He peeked around the wall and took cover just in time to avoid a snowball. He took a large snowball and tossed it towards Crystal, who was the one who attacked him.

Red looked around his cover at Sapphire. She waved at him and lifted a _huge_ snowball, which appeared to be twice as big as the girl herself. With both hands, she threw the snow-bomb directly at him.

"Holy crap!" he exclaimed as he took cover. With a loud thud, the snow-bomb impacted with the cover. "Did you see that?" he asked his teammates.

"Red, I'm taking fire from the Johto side," Green said.

"I was just attacked by a massive snowball from Sapphire. I can't give you covering fire!" (_Thud_) "There's another one!"

Sapphire grinned as she gathered snow to create another giant snowball. Suddenly Emerald tapped her shoulder.

"Hey, look over there," he said, pointing towards the cover Platinum was hiding behind. "That wall looks awfully weak. Do you think you can break it?"

Sapphire glanced at the wall before she took cover again. "Yeah, I think I can."

Emerald gave her 3 snowballs, which were compressed tight into essentially ice. She examined one then whipped it towards the weak cover. The ice ball punched through the weak wall and barely missed Platinum.

The heiress shrieked in surprise. She quickly tried to move to a different cover when Ruby threw several snowballs at her. Diamond saw the motion from his cover.

"Look out!" he yelled as he dove towards Platinum.

He embraced her and spun around, taking the 'shots' instead of her. Platinum shrieked again as Diamond went limp and collapsed onto her.

"Dia, no!" came Pearl's hollering. He rose to his feet and starting throwing the snowballs towards the Hoenn Dex Holders.

Gold, noticing the distraction, threw a tightly compressed snowball at Pearl and hit him right in the chest. The Sinnoh Dex Holder fell backwards and hit the ground with a thud.

"Wait a minute…" he started, still in his 'dead' position. "Why the hell did I do that? Damn, that was stupid…"

Platinum tried to regain balance as Diamond leaned against her. "Diamond, hang in there, please!"

Noticing that her junior's back was turned, Sapphire threw an ice ball. At the same time, Blue tossed a snowball and Silver whipped one as well. The ice ball hit Platinum in her lower back and the other two snowballs hit her in the shoulders. She yelped and gasped in pain (acting, yet the ice ball did hurt) as she dropped to her knees. She groaned a little before she collapsed to her side.

"Wow… that's some good acting…" Blue muttered. "Maybe a little too much, though."

Platinum opened her eyes and looked at Diamond, who was looking at her. "Did I do well?" she asked.

Diamond nodded and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Why the hell did _you_ do that?" came Pearl's voice from behind.

Platinum remained silent for a short while. "I am really sorry. I must have gotten carried away… We lost because of me…"

"It's not your fault," Diamond said with a smile.

"I am sorry, Diamond, Pearl. It appears that we shall only get an apple and a cup of water for lunch."

"Don't worry, I got plenty of snacks in my bag," Diamond said. "I have more than enough for all three of us."

"So… how long do we have to remain dead?" Pearl yelled.

"Until the game's over!" came back the reply from Blue.

Meanwhile, Sapphire turned to look at the Kanto team. She picked up the last ice ball and whipped it towards Red. He took cover and the ice ball almost pierced through the snow wall.

"Uh… Blue, I could use some help," Red said as he began reinforcing the wall.

Blue, who had created a huge pile of snowballs while staying under cover, began to use them to rapidly bombard the Hoenn team. The Hoenn Dex Holders took cover from the raining snowballs. Ruby and Sapphire glanced at each other to ensure that they were alive. Emerald, however, remained motionless under a large pile of snow.

"Ow… I'm hit… a lot…" he muttered.

Sapphire gritted her teeth and began to build another snow-bomb. Gold poked a hole through his cover and looked at the Kanto team. Taking aim properly, he tossed several snowballs like mortar shots. Shortly after, he could hear Blue's shriek, and Silver suddenly threw a snowball at his head.

"Ow, friendly fire!" the goggled boy yelled. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Gold and Silver both rose to their feet and started to yell at each other. Crystal also rose to her feet and tried to calm her two friends.

Meanwhile, Blue crawled from her cover, with her hands clutching her stomach.

"Green… Help me," she said in a dying voice.

Green sighed as he slowly shook his head. He scooped some snow and tossed it on her face. "Dead people don't talk, Blue."

"So cold… literally…"

Green shook his head and peeked around the corner to his Johto juniors. Red also peeked around his corner. They exchanged looks and each threw a snowball.

Silver got hit on the shoulder first and he dropped to the ground. Gold quickly ducked behind his cover, dodging the snowball that Red threw. But unfortunately, Crystal was standing right behind him, thus when Gold ducked, she got hit instead. The snowball that Red threw hit her right in the face.

Gold quickly checked on her. She had her hands on her face and when she moved them away, he could see a big cut on her cheek. Apparently there was some ice in that snowball.

"Crys, you okay?" he asked.

"I think so…"

"Medic!" he yelled. "She's bleeding!"

Surprised, Red looked around the snow wall. He could see Yellow helping Crystal up to her feet, and he could see some blood on the younger girl's cheek.

"Sorry, Crys!" he yelled.

"I'm okay!" she yelled back.

Gold jumped up and started to throw snowballs towards the Kanto team, so that he may 'avenge' Crystal. Red and Green took cover to avoid the rapid fire. Sapphire, taking this opportunity, threw the snow-bomb with both hands towards Gold.

Crystal turned to look just in time to see the snow-bomb explode all over Gold. The impact pushed him backwards and he ended up tripping over the snow walls and eventually hit the ground with a thud.

"Holy crap!" he muttered as he unburied himself from the snow. "That hurt like hell!"

Sapphire grinned and exchanged a high five with Ruby. Emerald, still under a pile of snow, did not appreciate them stalling.

"Would you two hurry it up? I'm freezing and starving here."

Meanwhile, Platinum started to shiver. Lying on the snow for a long time (and not moving), and the fact that the wind was blowing snow up her skirt, was making her very cold.

Diamond, seeing her shiver, thought for a few seconds before he crawled towards her. He lay on the snow right beside her and unzipped his coat. Platinum looked at him, wondering what he intended to do. He signaled her to come closer, and after several moments of hesitation, she carefully rolled towards him so that she now lay on top of one side of Diamond's coat, had her back pressed against his chest and the other side of the coat on top of her like a blanket.

"Feeling better?" Diamond asked. His face was completely red from the extreme proximity. This was one of the stupidest things he's ever done… What would everyone say if they saw him do this? He was sure glad that Platinum couldn't see his face. He hesitantly put an arm over her waist in order to close his coat and to keep her warm.

Platinum too, was blushing from the proximity. She was glad that Diamond couldn't see her face, and she was also glad that no other Dex Holder could see the situation she was in.

"Y – Yes… this is… much better. Thank you…"

Meanwhile, Sapphire glanced over at the Kanto team. It was getting ridiculously cold, but she needed to fight for the sake of a good lunch… Suddenly a snowball flew over her head. She looked over at Ruby and pointed to the other team. Ruby nodded and prepared a snowball while Sapphire prepared an ice ball.

"On the count of 3," she whispered.

She raised 3 fingers and started to count down. When she folded all 3 fingers, she rose to her knees and threw the ice ball while Ruby jumped up to his feet and threw the snowball. The ice ball punched through the cover Red was hiding behind and hit him in the ankle while Ruby's snowball forced Green to take cover again.

"Ow," came Red's voice from behind the cover. "Green, you're on your own!"

Green threw a snowball at Sapphire who seemed preoccupied at the fact that she hit her role model. The snowball would've hit her right in the eye if Ruby hadn't stepped in and took the hit. Sapphire snapped out of her thoughts and saw Ruby starting to fall towards her. Unlike Platinum (who 'died' with her protector), she grabbed him by his coat from behind and began to use him as a shield. She threw an ice ball towards Green's cover, who jumped out of the way just as the ice ball pierced through the snow wall. While Sapphire prepared another snowball, Green had jumped behind the corner where Blue had been hiding before she got hit.

By the time Sapphire was prepared to throw, Green was on his feet, throwing a series of snowballs. It seemed that the ammunition Blue had created was still there. Since Sapphire was using Ruby as a shield, all the snowballs pelted him instead of her.

"Ow, ow, ow… Sapphire, can't you just lose?" Ruby asked, groaning from continuously being hit.

"Shut up! You're supposed to be dead!" Sapphire yelled.

Green took aim and threw a snowball… directly at Ruby's face.

"Ruby, duck!" he yelled.

Ruby turned to look just in time to see the snowball flying straight towards his face. On instinct, he ducked, and the snowball flew over his head and… hit Sapphire on the top of her head. She staggered backwards and soon fell.

Yellow blew into the whistle, signaling the end of the game. Platinum quickly rose to her feet and Diamond did as well after he zipped his coat once again.

"Alright, everyone," Blue yelled, getting back up. "Kanto team wins! Hoenn team is second, Johto third, and Sinnoh last! Now let's eat lunch!"

"You betrayed me…" Sapphire said to Ruby on the way back to the lodge.

"Hey, you're the one who used me as a shield," he argued back. "Seriously, I'm probably covered in bruises thanks to you. Besides, it was either that, or have my face ruined. I need my look for contests, you know…"

Several hours later, 11 pm...

Platinum sat beside Diamond in the living room of the lodge. Red, Blue, Yellow, Silver, Crystal, and Emerald have already gone to sleep in their rooms. Pearl was busy writing down some ideas for a comedy act, Sapphire appeared to be dozing off in front of the fire, Green was reading the newspaper in the corner of the room, Ruby was looking at Sapphire with a smirk on his face, and Gold was drinking hot chocolate while looking back and forth between Ruby and Sapphire. Diamond was eating some snacks before Platinum sat beside him.

"Do you… want some?" he asked, offering some of the chocolate snacks he was eating.

Platinum smiled and shook her head. "No thank you, Diamond." She covered her mouth for a yawn and somewhat leaned against Diamond. "How do you like this trip so far?"

"I – I like it very much," he replied, his face turning red. '_This is one of the happiest moments of…_'

"Diamond, I wanted to ask you," Platinum started abruptly.

"Uh… what is it?"

"During the snowball fight earlier today… why did you get hit instead of me?"

Diamond swallowed the food in his mouth. "Uh… I've been protecting you since we met, and I guess when I saw the snowball about to hit you, I just acted without thinking. I made a vow a long time ago," he said nervously. He took a deep breath and turned to look at Platinum, whose face was _very_ close to his. "I will protect you, no matter what happens."

"Do you mean… if I were to get attacked by a wild Pokémon, you will protect me, even if it means that you will get hurt?"

"Of course I will."

Platinum seemed very touched by his care for her. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"Diamond, please do not do anything reckless. If you were to get hurt, I shall never forgive myself… So please, promise me that-"

Suddenly, Sapphire's shriek and Gold's laughter interrupted her.

Ruby, noticing Sapphire dozing off in front of the fire, decided to play a prank. He went outside of the cabin, made a big snowball, and after getting back inside the lodge, dropped it high above her head.

Sapphire, enraged, jumped to her feet and glared at Ruby. Seeing the deadly look, he stopped laughing. The snow seemed to instantly melt and evaporate in her fiery temper. Every other Dex Holder rose to their feet, wondering what would happen.

"Crap…" Ruby quickly spun around and ran.

Sapphire chased him with all her might, knocking over chairs, sofas, and people in her way (Gold and Pearl, for example). She even pushed Platinum out of the way, who tried to calm her.

"Get back over here! I'm going to F*CKING MURDER YOU!" Sapphire screamed, almost shaking the whole lodge with her voice.

She chased him as he ran out of the lodge and ran into the forest. Ruby ducked to avoid the various low-hanging branches, but he had to push one away with his arms, as it was too low to duck but too high to jump over. His choice proved to be bad, as once he let go of that branch, it acted like a whip and struck Sapphire who was chasing him. Hearing her yelp, Ruby stopped running and looked back. He could see her lying on the snow with her hands over her face.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked as he knelt beside her.

Sapphire carefully sat up and moved her hands away from her face. She winced in pain and kept her left eye shut, as it caused severe pain when she tried to open it. Much to Ruby's horror, there was a big gash over her left eye, from the cheek to the forehead. Sapphire had shut her eye before the branch hit, but there was a big cut on the eyelid. There was blood trickling down her cheek from that cut.

Sapphire wasn't wearing any winter clothes (she was in her regular attire), but she wasn't shivering at all (too fired up). She looked at the blood on her gloves and clenched her hands into fists.

"Sapphire, are you okay?" Ruby asked again. "You're bleeding a lot, but I don't think your eye is damaged. Come, let's get you healed."

Sapphire gritted her teeth and jumped to her feet. Ruby could see the fire in her open eye, and it felt as if he was looking at his own death… She swung a fist for a punch, and he ducked out of the way. The punch hit a tree instead, and the tree _snapped in half_.

Ruby ran again, and Sapphire chased him once more with even more energy.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he yelled desperately as he ran back towards the lodge. "It was an accident! An accident, I tell you!"

"Shut up! I'm going to grind your face on a F*CKING HEATED CHAIN-LINK FENCE and pour SALT ALL OVER IT!"

Crystal, who was reading a novel (one she received for her birthday) in her room, quickly ran downstairs to the living room, upon hearing the furious screaming of horribly painful torture.

In the living room, she could see Ruby cowering behind the couch while the other Dex Holders tried to hold Sapphire down. The enraged Dex Holder and blood trickling from the big cut on her face, and kept her left eye shut. Gold and Green each held onto an arm, Diamond and Pearl were each holding onto a leg and Platinum was trying to calm her down with words.

"What did you do?" Crystal asked Ruby.

"Uh… a prank that led to an accident," he replied.

Crystal turned to look at Sapphire, who was thrashing around, trying to free herself. The blood was trickling down her cheek and onto her shirt. Platinum never saw her senior this scary before. She made a note to herself to _never_ make her angry.

"Come over here and take your F*CKING BEATING LIKE A MAN!" Sapphire roared. Platinum covered her ears with her hands and staggered backwards. "I'm going to pull out your F*CKING SPINE AND F*CKING CHOKE YOU WITH IT!"

Green shook his head. "Crystal, come here and hold her arm."

Crystal ran towards him and took his place. She didn't know whether she could hold her junior down, though. Green slowly walked in front of Sapphire.

"Alright, Sapphire," he started calmly. "I will give you 5 seconds to calm down."

The Hoenn Dex Holder seemed to calm down slightly, as she started to thrash less. Crystal figured that it was the calmness and the invisible pressure her senior always had that calmed her junior.

"Now, we're going to treat that cut, and it'll help all of us if you're calm," Green said again. "Once we treat that eye, you will go to sleep, and tomorrow, you can do whatever you want to Ruby (Ruby: "WHAT?"). Just don't actually murder him or cripple him."

Sapphire took a deep, deep breath and stopped thrashing. She nodded and after one more deadly glare at Ruby's cowering form, went upstairs to her room. Platinum and Crystal followed.

While Platinum carefully cleaned the injury and put antiseptic on it, Crystal watched. She was originally going to do the treating process herself, but apparently the Sinnoh Dex Holder knew a _lot_ more than her. Sapphire explained what Ruby did to her, and what happened when she chased him.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

"Sapphire?" came Ruby's voice.

The door slowly opened and he stepped inside. Sapphire glared at him.

"Look, I'm really, _really_ sorry about this," he said, sitting on the bed beside her. He noticed her trembling with rage and could hear her gritting her teeth. He swallowed nervously ('gulp') and grabbed her ungloved hand. To his surprise, she stopped trembling, but looked rather surprised. "I'm really sorry."

Platinum accidentally poked the cut with the tool she was using to apply the antiseptic. Sapphire hissed in pain and clenched her hands into fists, _really_ tight… and she was grabbing Ruby's hand.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow… Sapphire, you're breaking my hand!"

"I – I am terribly sorry!" Platinum stammered hastily.

"Just be careful," Sapphire said through clenched teeth. "And relax. It's not like I'm going to _snap_ you in half."

Platinum swallowed nervously (another 'gulp') and continued the medical treatment.

"… Sapphire, can you ease off on the hand?" Ruby asked from the side.

Sapphire grinned. She clenched her hand as strong as she could. The treatment of her wound was quite painful, and now she had a method of somewhat alleviating that pain… or rather, transfer it to someone else.

An hour later, once the wound was fully bandaged, Sapphire decided to go to sleep. Ruby, feeling guilty and afraid of what would happen to him, went to sleep as well, with an ice pack tied to his hand. But he remembered to lock his door and barricade the doorway with a small bookshelf… just in case.

Since Sapphire decided to sleep, Platinum also chose to sleep. She let her senior take the bed, and kept the heater on at full power to make sure that the room was warm enough. The younger girl would've preferred to keep the heater on low, but she felt that her senior would snap her in half if she did so…

Crystal kept her heater on medium and tried to sleep. It was a tiring day (Blue had planned a game right before dinner and another one right after as well) and the next day was going to be tiring as well. Everyone was going to go skiing, and… she never skied before. She was afraid of what might happen and because of it, she couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned on her bed, desperately trying to fall asleep, but to no avail.

She checked the time… it was 2 am. Groaning, she shut her eyes and tried to avoid thinking of anything. She reasoned that thinking of all possible outcomes of tomorrow's event (technically today's event) would only prevent her from sleeping, so she tried to empty her thoughts.

And… it was working! Crystal slowly started to drift towards the state of 'sleep' after a long time of tossing and turning. Finally, she was going to fall asleep…

But someone knocked on the door.

Damn it…

'_Go away, whoever it is… It's 2 in the morning…_' Crystal thought miserably.

"Crys!" came a voice from behind the door. "Open up, it's an emergency!"

'_That sounded like Gold… This had __**better**__ be an emergency…_'

Crystal groaned as she got off of her bed. She was _just_ about to fall asleep… She grumbled as she turned the lights on, and groaned some more as the bright light hurt her eyes. Once her eyes got partially accustomed to the bright light, she opened the door.

"What is it?" she asked grumpily.

To her surprise, Gold had a grin on his face. That was never a good sign…

"What could possibly be funny?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"There's something _really_ hilarious that I wanted to show you," he said, pointing down the hallway. "Look over there."

Crystal sighed as she stepped out of her room and looked where Gold was pointing. She couldn't see anything…

"I don't see anything," she said, squinting. She turned around to look at Gold…

Then it happened… the bone-chilling cold all around her, her sleepiness disappearing, and being completely drenched… Gold had poured a bucket full of snow and ice-cold water down on her head. Crystal shrieked as the ice water soaked her from head to toe… She staggered backwards and fell… This was one thing that she never expected. She was in a warm room, in her warm clothes, and Gold just had to pour that damn bucket of ice-water on her… Needless to say, it almost gave her a heart attack.

The next thing that came to her mind was… why. Why did he just do that? Crystal wiped the slush from her eyes and glared at Gold, who was laughing. Now she knew how Sapphire felt…

Crystal took the bucket and tried to smash the metal object onto Gold's head, but he was running away from her, still laughing. She wanted to scream out a threat, but since it was 2 in the morning, decided not to. Instead, she would _murder_ him during the day…

Crystal sneezed. Grumbling, she shut the door and began to dry herself after removing her clothes. She had prepared a second set of night clothes (just in case), and she was glad that she did. But after fully drying herself and as she lay on her bed in her new night clothes, another problem occurred… she was no longer sleepy. That damned ice water had snapped her awake…

Again, she was going to _kill_ him… unless, of course, he does something particularly nice for her… If not, then she would see to it that he gets _buried_ by the end of this trip…

* * *

**Added after SE #024****: The Set Up II…**

* * *

What Could Have Been:

Crystal sneezed. Grumbling, she shut the door and began to dry herself after removing her clothes. Gold just _had_ to pour that bucket of ice water on her… in the middle of the night… _just_ as she was about to fall asleep… It was a good thing she brought an extra set of night clothes…

The Johto girl put her pants on and was about to put the shirt on when the door burst open (Crystal forgot the lock the door). Gold stood in the doorway, holding a snowball (as if the ice-cold water wasn't enough).

"Whoa…" he muttered.

Crystal quickly covered herself with the shirt and glared at Gold. "GET OUT!" she screamed out. Sure, it was 2:30 am, but she didn't care anymore. "GET OUT!"

"Seriously, Super Serious Gal? Pink?" Gold said with a grin. "I'm not sure if that color-"

"GET OUT!" Crystal screamed even louder. Her face was completely red from embarrassment and anger.

"What the hell is going on here?" came Green's voice from outside the door.

Crystal groaned. '_This day just keeps getting worse!_' She could only try to cover herself better with her shirt as the Viridian Gym Leader appeared in the doorway…

* * *

**Next Up: my first attempt at Black & White.**


	12. Fake

**Now… for those who expected the first Black & White… I'm afraid that it may have to be postponed to the next chapter. Things aren't working out as planned, and as such, I made this Green & Blue instead. Perhaps I'm attempting a Black & White a little too early? For the sake of the completed parts, I'll try to successfully finish that one-shot for next time.**

**MISC: Currency. Assuming the used currency in the Pokémon Special world is in Pokédollars (PKD), for simplicity, I'll say that it's 200 PKD per 1 USD. I feel that this is reasonable since this makes a Pokéball worth $1, Potion worth $1.5, Full Restore $15, and Protein $49 (ouch). So in Your Move, Gold pays Silver $50 for losing 10 games, and Silver claims that it'll cost $200 to take Soul clothes shopping. Again, seems reasonable.**

**Primary: Green & Blue.**

* * *

Fake:

April 20th…

Green sat on the couch in his house, reading the news. He wondered what he would do afterwards, as there was nothing to do. The few people who attempt to challenge him for the Earth Badge were (in his perspective), pitifully weak. So instead of being there personally, he let his hologram take over while he did other things with his main force. He spent his time training, doing research for his grandfather, or training the junior Dex Holders. He would've preferred letting Red help the juniors, but he was always missing. He was probably training in some faraway cave, perhaps getting ready for yet another world-threatening event.

Green rose to his feet, tossing the newspaper aside. Maybe he'd start training too. He didn't want his Pokémon to look sloppy compared to Red's. For a week, there had been rumors that Platinum was going to challenge the Gyms in other regions, which meant that someday, the heiress would come to the Viridian Gym; another reason why Green couldn't just sit and rest.

After ensuring that he had his Pokémon with him, he headed towards the door. But right before his hand touched the door knob, someone knocked on the door. Green froze. Instantly, he stepped away from the door and wondered who would come to his house. His grandfather was at Hoenn, Daisy was probably at Bill's, Red was MIA (Green doubted that he was even in Kanto), Crystal was out with Gold somewhere, and seeing how Yellow and Silver wouldn't visit him in Pallet Town, it was obvious who the visitor was.

Green sighed. Though he was bored, he didn't like the idea of having to spend the day with-

"Green, open the door. I can see you right there!" came Blue's voice from the outside.

Well, so much for training quietly. He sighed again and opened the door. As expected, he saw Blue outside, with her modified Silph Scope. That damned thing caused him so many problems… With that thing on, Blue could see through walls (well, at least see heat signatures from the outside) and see in the dark, which allowed her to sneak into other people's houses at night…

"Hi, Green! It's me, the birthday girl!" Blue said cheerfully, putting the Silph Scope away.

"Yeah, hi…" the Gym Leader trailed off. '_The what?_'

"Aren't you going to wish me a happy birthday?"

'_I thought her birthday was in June… Or was that someone else? I thought only Crystal's birthday was in this month…_'

"Hello? Green?"

'_There's no way that today is Blue's birthday. She would've bothered me about it for a month. But what if it is her birthday today? She's going to demand a birthday gift. And once she finds out that I don't know when her birthday is, then… things would be problematic._'

"You didn't know that today was my birthday, did you?" Blue asked, snapping Green from his thoughts.

"Of course I knew," Green replied. "But for a second, I thought your birthday was June 1st for some reason."

"Well, I'm glad that you remember that it's my birthday, so… what'd you get me?"

"Nothing," Green replied. "I've been very busy."

"Oh…" Blue said with a disappointed look. "In that case, how about you grant me whatever request?"

"No."

"It's the least you can do. Besides, the request won't be that hard."

"Within reason?"

"Maybe; depends on your definition of reason."

"What do you want me to do? Marry you?" Green asked sarcastically with a smirk.

"Will you?"

"No."

"In that case, why not just buy me lunch and dinner?" Blue asked.

"Again? I thought I bought you lunch and dinner some 10 times so far."

"Well, you could always take me shoes shopping instead," Blue said with a smile.

"Lunch and dinner it is," the Gym Leader said after a sigh. "I'll… get ready," he said, shutting the door. '_I knew something like this would happen… Damn. How much this time?_'

While he checked his wallet to see how much money he had, he doubted that Blue's birthday was today. So he took his Pokégear and called Red.

"Red, this is Green," he said once his friend picked up. "Do you know when Blue's birthday is?"

"Uh… I don't know. Isn't it March 3rd?"

"No, that would be Yellow's," Green replied with a sigh.

"Oh… in that case, I have no clue. Uh… don't tell her that I said that." Suddenly, something exploded in the background. "Sapphire, no! Try to control the power of Blast Burn! Anyways, I need to go."

The Gym Leader sighed and hung up soon afterwards. After a moment of thought, he called someone else.

'_Come on, Crystal… pick up._'

But unfortunately, the Johto girl didn't pick up, as she was busy shopping with Gold. Green chose to leave her a voice mail.

"Crystal, this is Green. Call back ASAP!"

The Gym Leader put his Pokégear back in his pocket and headed outside. Blue, who was looking up at the sky, looked at him as he approached. The Gym Leader has his hands stuffed in his pockets and simply walked past her, and sent out his Charizard. As always, Blue ran up to him and put her arm around his. Together, they flew towards Viridian City, so that they may find a suitable restaurant.

But in Viridian, much to Green's relief, there was an opportunity to escape. From the distance, he could see Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.

"What are you three doing here?" Green asked, approaching them.

"Ah, seniors Green and Blue! It is great to see you again," Platinum said with a polite bow. "I have begun a journey to challenge the Gyms in other regions, and I have chosen to start with Kanto. Therefore, senior Green, would you please accept my challenge? I wish for a chance to battle you and I would highly appreciate it if you would point out my flaws and weaknesses."

Green noticed that on the end of the heiress's scarf, the Thunder Badge was already pinned. It seemed that the Sinnoh girl had arrived on Vermillion City, plowed through the Gym, and took a shortcut towards Viridian through the Diglett's cave.

"Oh, sorry, Platinum. But Green's busy today," Blue said from beside. "You could challenge him tomorrow."

"Oh… in that case, I shall come back tomorrow," Platinum replied, with a slight hint of disappointment.

"Nonsense, if you'd like, we could have a Gym Battle right now," Green said. "After all, you came a long way for this battle."

"Green, you are _busy_ today," Blue said again.

Platinum flinched when her two seniors suddenly turned to look at her. The heiress instantly realized what was happening. She had to pick either Green or Blue… If she agrees to come back tomorrow, while Blue would be happy, Green would not. If the heiress chose to challenge the Viridian Gym today, then Green would be happy (or not angry), but Blue would not. Platinum found both of her seniors to be very intimidating, although in different ways. To her knowledge, no Dex Holder who got on Blue's nerves (or simply defied her) had gotten away without any repercussion. But on the other hand, no one (except maybe Blue) had gotten away unscathed when Green was angry.

The heiress looked back and forth between her two seniors. She wished that she chose to go to Saffron City instead of heading straight to Viridian.

"Um… Diamond, Pearl, what do you think?" Platinum asked quietly, turning around to face her friends. But to her surprise, the two were nowhere near her, as they ran away upon realizing what would happen. '_Why me?_' "Um… p – perhaps a coin toss would help decide?" she suggested, trying to avoid defying any of her seniors.

"Just make a decision," Green said slowly.

The heiress swallowed nervously. If the choice involved just Red and Green, then she could have pretended to cry under the intimidating glares or pretend to faint under the 'harsh' sunlight to avoid making a decision. But Blue would see through all of those ploys. It was now impossible to avoid defying both of her seniors. She now had to pick one over the other.

'_If I side with senior Green, then I would have to suffer from senior Blue's plans. Senior Green would not be much help in those situations. But if I side with senior Blue, then I could beg for senior Green's forgiveness later, and senior Blue would be able to help me…_' Platinum swallowed nervously again. "I – I shall come back at a later date," she replied quickly and quietly.

Green's eyes narrowed to a glare. "So be it," he said quietly. "I will see you tomorrow then. I won't hold anything back, and you shouldn't either."

Platinum avoided eye-contact with him and looked at Blue. The older girl smiled and gave her an approving nod. The two Kanto Dex Holders continued towards a restaurant, and once they disappeared from view, Platinum dropped to her knees. That was one of the most stressful and terrifying experience she ever had.

"Hey Green," Blue said as she put an arm around the Gym Leader's (who squirmed out of her embrace). "Do you really intend to battle Platinum with everything you have?"

"Yes," Green replied quietly. He then smiled. "I want to see exactly what she is capable of doing. Of course, she's talented, but I want to see exactly how much. Sure, she can't compare to Red, but… we'll see."

"Take it easy on her, Green," Blue said with a worried tone. "You don't want to scare her any more, do you? I think you already scared her enough right now."

"Well, seeing how she took your side during that little encounter, it's obvious that you scared her a lot than me."

Blue suddenly stopped walking. "Am I really that scary?"

"Yes, you are. I got Crystal to take a survey of every Dex Holder. 'Who is the scariest? Red, Green, or Blue?'"

"And?"

"7 votes for you, 3 votes for me, and none for Red."

Blue grinned. "So 3 people don't think I'm scary, huh? Who were they?"

"The Hoenn trio."

The Kanto girl started to laugh. "I guess it's time to show them _exactly_ how scary I can be. More they are afraid of me, the easier it is to order them around."

"You know, there are examples from that past that show the horrific end to terror based ruling."

"I'm not mean to them or anything," Blue objected. "I mean… sure, they're afraid of me, but I still take good care of them, don't I?"

"I suppose so," Green said with a sigh. "Anyways, we're here," he said, pointing to the restaurant ahead.

Blue narrowed her eyes. "What? A fast-food restaurant? You're joking, right?"

"Deal with it."

"But… come on! All the other times you took me to high quality restaurants with non-fattening food!"

"Time for a change, don't you think?" Green said. "Besides, I don't have enough money to go to a 4, 5 star restaurant."

"But… Green!"

"It's either this or back home, Blue."

Blue pouted and crossed her arms. "This is no way to treat a birthday girl…"

Suddenly, Green's Pokégear started to vibrate. The Gym Leader looked at it, and answered. It was Crystal; she was calling back because of the voice mail.

"Yes, Crystal?" he said, taking a glance over at Blue. As expected, she seemed to have flinched and was now listening attentively.

"You… um… you called me?" the Johto girl said rather quietly. For some reason, she sounded a little afraid.

"Yes, I wanted to ask you something. Whose birthday is today?"

"Um… no one, I think."

"Really? When's Blue's birthday?"

"June 1st. Why do you ask?" Crystal asked, sounding very confused.

"Just checking," Green replied. "That is all. You can resume whatever you've been doing with Gold."

"Oh, that's a relief… I was afraid that I did something wrong…" Crystal muttered. "… Wait, what do you mean 'whatever you've been doing'? You're not implying I-"

Green hung up and slowly turned to face Blue. The Kanto girl was looking up at the sky, pretending to be innocent.

"So, I was right all along," Green said slowly. "Your birthday _is_ June 1st. Which means that this is just another one of your plans."

Blue didn't reply, as she was thinking of what she could say.

"Blue, this was an underhanded trick to try to get me to buy you lunch and dinner. Underhanded even for you."

"Green, I-"

"I'm going back home," the Gym Leader said as he sent out his Charizard once more. Blue looked down at the ground in disappointment. "However," Green said. Blue quickly looked at him. "You're free to come with me. I won't be buying anything for you, but I will be making lunch. This is what you were aiming for, right? Your ulterior objective is to spend time with me, yes?"

Blue suddenly blushed. Though she was giving hints, she had never actually said anything about it. And now she felt somewhat embarrassed.

"You have half of a second to consider my offer or I leave you in Viridian, Blue."

The Kanto girl snapped out of her thoughts and quickly climbed onto the Charizard with Green.

"You can't really hate me for trying, right?" she said with a smile. "I mean… can you say that you didn't enjoy spending time with me?" as she expected, Green remained silent as his Pokémon steadily flew towards Pallet Town. "Just as I thought."

"But next time, just say it. Don't try to trick me again."

* * *

**Next up: Black & White (hopefully). If I am unsuccessful once again, then Gold & Crystal.**

**Now, assuming the next one-shot is Black & White, then the two following one-shots will be Gold & Crystal, then Diamond & Platinum.**


	13. No More Debt

**First attempt at Black & White. It had been postponed, but here it is now! No further attempts planned. This one was hard enough…**

**Primary: Black & White.**

* * *

No More Debt:

Black waited outside of the hotel, waiting for White to come out. She had entered to take a shower and get ready for the day, but it was taking her far too long compared to normal.

Half an hour later, the president slowly exited the hotel. But for some reason, she looked rather nervous.

"What's up, Miss President?" Black asked.

"I… have something to tell you," White said nervously, playing with her fingers.

"What?"

"Though you still technically have over 90 percent of the debt remaining, since you've helped me so much on so many occasions, I'm willing to overlook the remaining debt. I mean… the next series of shootings have been canceled, so you don't have to work for me."

"Really? I don't owe you anymore?"

"Yes. But I'm going to be taking a vacation from BW Agency soon, and I was wondering if I-"

White still had lots to say, but Black was already jumping up and down, shouting in joy.

"YEAH! NO MORE DEBT! NO MORE DISTRACTIONS!" he yelled. His voice was loud enough to completely mask White's voice. Without warning, he started to run. "Well, thanks a lot for everything! It's been fun, good bye!"

The president stood stunned, as she uttered the rest of her sentences. "If… if I could… travel… with you… I… would… highly appreciate it… because I… I… like… you…"

She put her hands over her mouth, trying to prevent herself from crying. It had been a couple of months since she met Black, and she had thought that they were friends by now. After a few minutes of trying to calm down, she slowly headed back home.

Later that night…

Black sat by the fire in front of his tent, lost in thought. That night felt odd. It was quiet… too quiet… and he felt rather alone. He shook his head and concentrated on his goal. He could feel his goal of the Elite Four approaching…

Suddenly, his mind started to go blank as his Munna started to eat away at his dreams…

"What the? What… what… are you… … doing…" (BLANK)…

Black stood and watched as various facts and information came to his eyes. Just one tent set up in the field, the quiet day, the boring dinner, … the nervous look on White's face earlier that day, the utterly shocked and hurt look she had afterwards… Black could soon see black and white spots moving around in his vision. His vision started to become clearer as the white spots began to form a silhouette…

'_Is that Miss President? That's why this night feels so weird… I'm alone after months of traveling together… … No… that's not the only reason… there's… something… bigger… something… __**worse**__…_'

The black and white spots began to rearrange to form another silhouette…

Black snapped out of his blank state of mind. He quickly dug into his bag and soon found the BW Agency business card which White gave to him on the first day. He checked the address of the company, and soon packed up, preparing to leave…

Two days later…

"Ah, Miss President, I thought you were on a vacation," one of the managers said as he approached White. He failed to notice the dark expression over his supervisor's face.

"I… changed my mind," the president replied quietly. "I… have things to do. If you need me, I'll be in my office."

A few hours later…

Black approached the front desk of the BW Agency building.

"Can I help you?" the employee asked.

"Yes… I'm looking for Miss President," Black replied.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, but I'm a… friend of hers. Do you know where she is?"

"I'm afraid that the president has left for a filming half an hour ago. She is near the park, I believe."

"Oh… thank you."

Black quickly ran out of the building and headed towards the nearest park. From on top of a hill, he could see the movie set being prepared, and could see White standing by, checking over the equipment. Silently, he ran around the park and approached her from behind. But he chose to hide behind a tree to listen first.

"How did yesterday's filming go?" he heard White say rather quietly.

"It went quite well. Our clients were very satisfied," replied an employee.

"That's good…" White muttered. She suddenly rose to her feet. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

She sighed and slowly walked away. Black followed her from far behind. Eventually, the president sat on a bench far away from her employees and took a deep breath. Black, still looking from afar, noticed that White looked awfully lonely.

"Miss President!" he yelled, unable to withstand the depressed look any longer.

White jumped in surprise and slowly turned to look at him. "What are you…" she started quietly. Since she was too far away, Black couldn't hear her. She simply watched as he ran towards her. "What are you doing here?" the president said once he was close enough.

"I came because I think I need to repay my debt completely."

"Huh? W – What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry about two days ago. I wasn't thinking clearly. But once I could think, I noticed how lonely I was, and how selfish I was being to you. So I came back to try to get you to travel with me again."

"Aren't I a distraction to you?" White asked. "I mean… even when I think about it, you spent so much time saving me from danger. It's probably better for you if you traveled by yourself."

"To be completely honest, Miss President," Black said after a sigh. "I did think that the journey was taking too long, and I thought it could be faster if I was alone. But once we separated, I noticed that my journey was boring and lonely. I now realize that it was only fun because… you were there."

The president sighed and turned away.

"Sorry… I… have a business to take care of…"

Black thought for a second. "You once told me that you have never been in a Pokémon battle before. Now, what would happen to your company's reputation if people find out that the president doesn't even know how to defend herself? You won't be getting much respect, and if you lose respect, your company would too." As he expected, White visibly flinched. "What do you say, Miss President? You can say that you're training yourself while you travel with me, and I can help you practice battling."

"I… I can get someone else to help me train and practice," White said after a few seconds of consideration. She turned to face Black and examined his expression. "Besides… you clearly don't know what I'm going through right now."

"Yes, I do. You see," Black said with a faint smile. "When my mind became blank, the only thing I saw was… you, and… something else. Which is why I ask you: was there something you wanted to tell me?"

White turned away once more. She took a deep breath and began to think.

'_Maybe he thinks I'm overreacting? He doesn't know that I like him… Maybe I should just accept his apology and travel with him again. If he thinks I'm overreacting, then he'll wonder why. If he finds out that I like him, then things will become very awkward and problematic…_'

White made up her mind and began to think about what she would say. Black, still waiting for a response, sighed and proceeded with the next part of his prepared speech.

"Miss President, I'll be completely honest. I hope you'll be as honest with me as well. Miss President, I like you."

White snapped out of her thoughts and quickly turned to look at Black. '_What did he say?_'

"It's one of the reasons why I came back. I want to travel with you instead of another friend because I like you."

"That's surprising," White muttered. "I never thought you'd like me… Especially after what you said two days ago."

"I never thought about it, but the two days alone was very hard for me. So I came back… for you. But Miss President, before you say anything else, I want to ask you something. And be honest with me. You like me too, right?"

White didn't know what to say. Black sounded so confident, like he already knew the answer. If he already knows the answer, then there really wasn't any point in stalling.

"Um… yes," White replied nervously. "But… how did you know?"

Black smiled and pointed to his head. "Once I could think clearly, all I saw was you and a broken heart. So I pieced the information together."

White smiled and closed her eyes. She let out a long sigh of relief.

"So how about it, Miss President?" Black asked. "Would you accept my apology and travel with me again?"

White rose to her feet and smiled once again. "Well, if you're apologizing, then I can't say no, can I?" She grabbed Black's hands. "Thank you. What you said was hurtful, but you came all the way back for me."

"That's great, Miss President," Black said with a sigh of relief. "Now, take your time and get ready. I'll be camping nearby, so whenever you're ready, let me know."

White leaned closer and kissed him on the cheek. "I won't take too long," she said, heading back towards her employees.

Once she was out of sight, Black took out his Munna's Pokéball.

"Thanks," he said. "I don't know what would've happened if it wasn't for you."

He put the Pokéball back inside his pocket and sat on the bench, patiently waiting. Before long, White came running towards him.

"Thank you for waiting," she said with a smile. "I'm ready to go now."

Black jumped to his feet and offered his hand. White took it after a slight moment of hesitation, and together, they ran towards the next route, eager to get the adventure started once more.

* * *

**Next up, something not nearly as short as this one, and something that's easier for me to make: Gold & Crystal.**


	14. Stranded

**There. This was a LOT easier than Black & White.**

**MISC: Gold's billiard cue. I don't know what that thing's made of, but that's one durable cue. It's light, hollow (hence it gets compressed), yet strong enough to: prevent **_**Lugia**_** from closing its mouth for Aeroblast, shatter Pryce's ice mask, pierce the ice-body of Pryce (and become a lightning rod), stop the Battle Tower's disaster-prevention shutters from closing, have a **_**sword fight**_** against Archie, propel **_**Blast Burn**_** without burning… and on and on… As a result, I'm thinking that it's indestructible… it probably is too.**

**Primary: Gold & Crystal****.**

* * *

Stranded:

Crystal finished re-arranging the bags in her cabin and let out a sigh. For a vacation, she had decided to take Gold to the Icefall Cave in Four Island of the Sevii Islands. The icicles and the frozen lake inside the cave were supposedly beautiful and she wanted to see it. So after convincing Gold, she managed to drag him all the way to Vermillion City, where the Sea Gallop awaited them. Unfortunately, Crystal and Gold had to share a cabin, and like the irresponsible jerk that he was, Gold dumped all of his luggage in the cabin and disappeared somewhere, leaving Crystal with the mess.

The ship left the harbor soon, and Crystal left the cabin to find Gold. She received a call from Blue (currently in One Island), who gave her some suggestions on where to visit afterwards.

Crystal headed towards the side of the ship and looked at the sea. The water was sparkling beautifully and the Johto girl smiled as she looked onwards. They were currently passing past Two Island, meaning that their destination wasn't too far. But not too far away, she could see a large whirlpool… Crystal instantly turned and headed towards her cabin in case something went wrong.

She could feel the ship steadily turning direction as the whirlpool began to drag it closer. Suddenly, she felt a very powerful collision, which threw her back towards the narrow hallway. She slammed her upper back hard against the wall, and she felt the air escape her lungs. Feeling very dazed, she struggled back to her feet but the ship was shaking violently. Crystal staggered back and forth, trying to regain balance, but before she could, the floor beneath her cracked and soon broke. She fell through the hole and landed hard on the floor below. The pain she felt almost knocked her unconscious. She couldn't move her body, and she feared that she would die there. Before long, she could hear footsteps approaching her as she wavered in and out of unconsciousness.

"Hey, … …erious Ga… …ap out of it! … … I'll get you out. Jus… in ther…"

Crystal felt someone lift her up and support her from the side. In her state, she couldn't recognize who was helping her, but it didn't really matter. She tried to say her thanks, but as she tried to open her mouth, she lost consciousness.

…

Crystal woke up from the constant waves crashing onto the shore beside her. She didn't know what happened; she remembered being on a ship with Gold, heading towards Four Islands for a vacation, then she saw a whirlpool and… Crystal instantly snapped out of her semi-conscious state.

'_Gold!_'

Quickly, she pushed herself off the ground, but nearly collapsed. She couldn't breathe, and ended up vomiting the water she swallowed. Shaking away the nausea, she scanned the area. It was starting to get dark, but she could see Gold lying on the shore a few meters away. She crawled over to him as fast as she could manage.

"Gold!" she called, but received no response. "Gold?" she called again. Upon arriving at his side, she could tell that he wasn't conscious. "Come on, Gold, wake up!" she yelled, shaking him by the shoulders. He wasn't even breathing… A thought occurred and she became seriously worried… "Tell me you're not dead, Gold! You can't die!"

After a few more unsuccessful shakes, she couldn't help but let a few tears fall. She now had no choice but to use CPR. Crystal pinched Gold's nose and placed her lips on his and blew air into his lungs. She then placed her hands on his chest and pushed down repeatedly.

"Come on Gold! If you die…"

After 10 pushes, she leaned over for another mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, when… Gold's eyes snapped open. He let out a surprised yell and pushed her back while Crystal backed away from the sudden movement.

"Damn, Super Serious Gal," Gold started, taking deep breaths to calm his surprise. "I know I'm irresistible, but restrain yourself! You may want me, but this (points to himself) is display-only! Hands off the merchandise!"

Crystal's face turned red from embarrassment and anger.

"You jerk! Do you have any idea how much I was worried?" she screamed.

"Whoa, easy there, Crys," Gold said, laughing. "I'm perfectly fine. And I'm glad that you are too."

Crystal glared at him but her anger soon calmed. "What happened Gold? I saw a large whirlpool near the ship, but…"

"I was downstairs, exploring around, when the ship started to tilt," Gold explained. "I ran to the windows to see what was happening, and I could see the whirlpool. But not only that, but there was a big rock right in the way. Collision seemed impossible to avoid, so I tried to get to you. But the ship hit the rock first, and while I tried to regain balance, the floor started to break. Then the ceiling broke apart and you fell down through. You passed out, so I had to carry you and escape. On the way, I saw a lifejacket, so I put one on you and… the ship sank. Lucky I found a spare oxygen tank, otherwise I would've been screwed."

'_Lifejacket?_' Crystal looked down. She could see the lifejacket on her… "Wait… why do I have the lifejacket but not you?"

"There was only one," Gold replied.

Crystal fell silent, touched by Gold's sacrifice. He had chosen to save her, even if it meant that he drowned.

"… Thank you…" the Johto girl said silently. She suddenly sneezed as the wind started to blow.

Gold rose to his feet and tossed her his jacket. Crystal caught it and looked at him.

"Put it on, Crys. I'm going to go look for firewood."

"Aren't you cold?" Crystal asked.

"Nope," Gold replied. He took a look around and headed towards the forest nearby.

Crystal smiled as she watched him. Though he didn't say it, she knew him enough to know that he was just as cold as she was. He was just incapable of saying that he was going to make sacrifices for her.

She put the jacket on and rose to her feet. If Gold was getting firewood, then she might as well look for a place to build the fire.

Meanwhile…

Somewhat far away from the ship's wreckage, several bags floated on the water, drifting aimlessly. The bags have been separated from their owners, and got caught in the whirlpool, pushing them further away from any hope of being found. From one of the bags, a pocket opened and a Politoed came out of its Pokéball. It opened the bag and looked inside. Apart from its own Pokéball, there were 5 more, and a device it recognized as a Pokédex (version VI). Relieved that nothing was lost, it began to push the bag away from all the lost luggage.

Not too far away, the Politoed saw a familiar looking bag, and swam towards it. Upon opening the bag, it saw another Pokédex and 6 Pokéballs. From one of them, a Xatu came out and perched on a floating chunk of the ship.

After a short discussion, the Politoed swam away, looking for some large chunks of wood, while the Xatu kept an eye on the area. The Politoed soon returned with a giant chunk of wood, which appeared to be a piece of the floor of the ship. When the Xatu deemed that it was big enough, another Pokéball opened and a Typhlosion came out.

After another short discussion, the Politoed began to push the chunk of wood while Xatu navigated, and the Typhlosion sped the movement with a series of Flamethrowers, propelling the makeshift raft like a jet.

Few hours later…

Gold sat by the fire while he poked at the burning firewood with his indestructible billiard cue. Lucky for him, the cue was one of the two items that did not get lost in the shipwreck. The other one was the supply bag that he was wearing. The supply bag consisted of snacks, water, and a first aid kit. Everything else, including Pokémon, food (as in, proper food), map, Pokégear, and others were lost.

Crystal, who was hugging her knees and stared into the fire, suddenly sighed.

"Super Serious Gal, what's wrong?" Gold asked, noticing the depressed expression on her face.

The Johto girl looked away from the fire and stared into his eyes. She let out another long sigh and looked even more depressed.

"Aren't you worried at all?" she asked. "I mean… we're lost… What if we can't go back home? What if we can't see our friends again?"

"Hey, don't worry about it. Sooner or later we'll find a way out. After all, our friends will be looking all over Sevii Islands looking for us. Since we were on the way there, they're bound to spot the smoke from our fire. We'll be fine."

"But what about our Pokémon? They're lost too."

Gold fell silent. "… Our Pokémon can take care of themselves," he said after a long while. "They'll be alright, Crys."

Suddenly, Crystal started to sob. Gold looked at her for a second before he moved to sit beside her. He put his arm over her shoulders and tried to calm her down.

"I'm telling you, Crys, everything's going to be fine."

"I'm sorry, Gold," Crystal sobbed out. "I never should've suggested that we go to Four Island…"

"Crys, this isn't your fault."

"But…"

"You're delirious. I think you should try to sleep," Gold suggested. "Once you rest, I'm sure you'll feel much better."

Gold embraced Crystal as she slowly calmed down. But because he was sitting beside her, he failed to see the Blast Burn aimed at the sky from far behind…

Meanwhile, in One Island, Blue sat outside her house, looking up at the stars. Many years ago, she used to look up at the stars as if they had a method for her to escape from the Mask of Ice. Once she escaped a few years afterwards, she looked up at the stars, wondering where her parents were. She thought that they would be looking at the stars as well, and it somewhat comforted her to know that they were looking at the same thing.

Nowadays, she looked at the stars just to enjoy the view, and think about how happy she is compared to her past. Suddenly, she saw a stream of fire aimed at the sky from far, far away. Surprised, she paid more attention to the fire, but it ended shortly. It didn't take long for her to recognize what it was.

'_That looked like Blast Burn… Only Green, Gold, Sapphire, and that old lady Brinca can use that move…_' Blue thought, suddenly becoming worried. '_Green and Sapphire are nowhere near here, and Two Island isn't in that direction… which means… Gold._' A thought occurred and Blue jumped to her feet. '_A signal flare? Something must've happened!_'

Blue quickly reached for her Pokégear and called Crystal. But the Johto girl didn't pick up.

More surprised, Blue quickly ran inside her house, got her coat and a flashlight, and with her Wigglytuff, flew towards the area where the Blast Burn originated.

Half an hour later, Blue began to wonder whether she passed the area she was looking for. But just as she was about to turn around, she saw something glowing reddish orange not too far away. Blue pointed her flashlight at it. She could see a Typhlosion on a chunk of wood, along with two bags, a Politoed, and a Xatu. Upon taking a closer look, Blue recognized them as Gold's Explotaro, Politaro, and Crystal's Tupeon.

Blue quickly got her Wigglytuff to lower the altitude while she quickly pulled out her Pokégear.

"Silver?" she said once the Johto boy picked up after a few rings. "Silver, listen. Get _everyone_ over to One Island _right now_!"

"Uh… sis? It's 10 pm. Isn't it a little late?" Silver asked.

"Right now, Silver!" Blue said hastily. "Something happened to Gold and Crys!"

"Got it," Silver said, quickly hanging up.

Blue put her Pokégear away and signaled her juniors' Pokémon to get back in their Pokéballs. Once they did, she picked up the bags and headed back home.

Several hours later…

Blue groaned as she put a hand on her forehead. She tried to see if her juniors' Pokémon could tell her anything, but it was useless. She turned to look at the clock. It was 10 pm when she attempted to get some information, but it was 5 am now.

'_Only if Yellow was here…_' she thought with a sigh.

But before long, someone knocked on the door, and realizing that the other Dex Holders were here, Blue quickly ran to open it. She let them inside and dragged Yellow towards Gold's Explotaro.

Yellow closed her eyes and put a hand on the Typhlosion's forehead. Images ran through her mind as the Typhlosion recalled the shipwreck.

The other Dex Holders watched nervously as Yellow started to frown. Her hand was beginning to twitch, and a couple of seconds later, she pulled away after a gasp.

"Yellow, what happened?" Blue asked.

"They… they were passing by Two Island when the ship was caught in a whirlpool," Yellow started after a few seconds. "The ship hit a giant rock and it sank… Gold and Crys weren't near their Pokémon when it happened…"

Emerald, who had been worrying about Crystal, looked alarmed.

Green cleared his throat. "You heard her, let's get going! Everyone, take a Pokémon that can Fly or Surf. If you have more than one, then lend it to someone who doesn't!"

Green tossed his Golduck's Pokéball to Emerald. Red gave his Gyarados to Diamond, and Platinum received Crystal's Xatu. Green took Sapphire's Wailord and gave it to Blue.

"You and Yellow stay here and see if you can get some more information," Green said. "You know the Sevii Islands better than anyone, Blue. So you should be able to tell us where to go if you find out anything. And take Sapphire's Wailord. It's big enough for everyone to get on, so it'll be our rescue boat."

Blue nodded and received Wailord's Pokéball (Sapphire doesn't keep it in the ball, but this was an emergency).

"We'll call you if we find anything, and you can come to us with the Wailord," Green said. "We'll signal where we are so you can find us." The Gym Leader turned to face the other Dex Holders. "Alright, listen up. Red, Sapphire, search around this island. Report anything odd to Blue. Ruby, Emerald, search around Two Island. Silver, Pearl, you'll take Three Island. Diamond and Platinum, Four Island. I'll take Five Island. Now, let's move!"

Meanwhile…

Gold continued to stare at the slowly dying fire while resting his head on Crystal's, as if the glare alone would keep the fire alive. Crystal had fallen asleep in his embrace several hours ago, but he didn't sleep at all. He couldn't. Though he assured Crystal that their Pokémon would be fine, he was really worried. He spent his entire life with them (except Typhlosion), and couldn't bear the thought of losing them. And because of that, he remained awake… Also he was really hungry.

He looked at Crystal. Though she didn't say it, he knew that she was just as hungry as he was. Gold began to wonder if it was his fault that they didn't have enough food. If only he had packed more… Because he had never anticipated that this would happen, he only packed one uncooked Cianwood sweet potato and one water bottle. With a sigh, he took his billiard cue (still unscathed despite being in the fire for hours), stabbed the sweet potato on the end, and stuck it into the dying flame. If Crystal blamed herself for the shipwreck, then Gold blamed himself for the lack of food. And as such, he was going to save her from starvation.

Two hours later, Crystal began to stir. Gold quickly pretended to be asleep.

Crystal opened her eyes and took a few seconds to remember where she was. She realized that she was leaning on Gold's shoulder and instantly pulled away, seriously blushing. It was a good thing that he was still asleep…

"… Thank you, Gold," she said silently. After a few seconds of hesitation, she reached over and kissed him in the cheek. But to her horror, Gold started to grin. '_He's awake?_'

"… You want to tell me what that was about, Super Serious Gal?" Gold said, slowly opening his eyes.

"G – Gold! W – When did you wake up?"

"I never slept," Gold replied. "So, what's your answer?"

"I – It's just m – my way of thanking you," Crystal lied, covering her cheeks with her hands to hide the blush.

"Really? So you thank everyone by kissing them? That makes you one serious s-"

"No! Not everyone! Just you!"

Gold started to laugh. "I thought so!" He reached for his billiard cue and pulled it out of the fire. "Here, you look hungry," he said, carefully removing the sweet potato from the tip of the cue (so he doesn't get burned).

The sweet potato (wrapped in tin foil) landed on Crystal's leg, and she quickly pushed it off. "Ow!"

"Oops, I just wanted to heat it up for you, Crys," Gold said with a grin. "Looks like it was too much though. It's a common mistake, so don't get angry."

"Don't get angry?" Crystal yelled angrily. "What if I was _burned_, Gold?"

Gold let out a long sigh. "Just like the old days, huh, Crys?"

Crystal smiled after a few seconds of thought. "Just like the old days, Gold…"

Gold took his cue and put the sweet potato back on its tip (by putting the tip on the hole that was made the first time). He then carefully removed the tin foil around the sweet potato and began to peel it.

"Here, Crys," he said, giving the cue to Crystal. "Eat it."

"What about you?" Crystal asked, receiving the cue.

"I'm not hungry," Gold replied nonchalantly.

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

Gold's stomach started to growl. Crystal smiled. "See, you _are_ hungry." She took a small bite from the sweet potato. She moved the tip of the cue towards Gold's mouth. "Now you take a bite. We'll share. I'll eat this half, and you eat the other half."

'_Then… when we get to the middle of the sweet potato…_' Gold started to laugh again. "Are you trying to thank me again, Crys? You just can't get enough of this (points to himself), can you?"

Crystal blushed, realizing her mistake. She started to stammer when Gold stopped her.

"I told you already that this was for display only, right? But if you wanted VIP access, then I can help you with that."

Gold took a big bite from his side of the sweet potato. After a wink, he rose to his feet.

"I'll be right back, Super Serious Gal. We need some more firewood."

15 hours later, 10 pm…

It was dark once again, and marked the second night on the island. Gold sat beside Crystal once again and stared into the fire. Crystal had fallen asleep, but Gold still couldn't. This time, he was worried about what would happen. The water bottle was empty, and there was nothing to eat.

Suddenly, Crystal grunted in her sleep. Gold, realizing that she was uncomfortable, carefully set her on the ground and rose to his feet. He put his jacket on top of her like a blanket, and with a makeshift torch (stabbed a long piece of wood with his billiard cue, and let that wood catch on fire), entered the forest. Thankfully, not that deep into the forest, he spotted some Pecha Berries on the berry plant. Though there were at most 3 ripe berries, Gold felt relieved that there was now a source of food and water at the same time. He picked the berries and returned to the camp, where Crystal was asleep. It was possible that there were dangers on the island, which was why he couldn't leave her by herself for too long, and which was why he didn't sleep. He had to protect her, no matter what.

Relieved that nothing happened while he was gone, Gold put the three Pecha Berries on his bag and sat beside Crystal, with his billiard cue in hand.

Next day, 6 am…

Crystal soon woke up from her sleep and sat up. Noticing that Gold's jacket was on her, she quickly turned to look at Gold. He was sitting right beside her, looking at the horizon with a blank look.

"… Gold?"

The goggled boy snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Crystal. "Ah, you're awake, huh? How'd you sleep?"

"Did… did you sleep at all?" Crystal asked, noticing the dark circles around Gold's bloodshot eyes. To her surprise, he shook his head. "Why?"

"You never know whether there's something dangerous on the island," Gold replied. "Someone has to remain awake and stay on guard."

"You never said anything about…" Crystal trailed off when a thought came to her. Gold had chosen to remain awake to guard her from possible dangers. He didn't tell her about it because he wanted her to rest… "Gold…"

Gold noticed that Crystal was about to cry. "Hey, Super Serious Gal, look at what I picked yesterday," he said, taking a Pecha Berry from his bag. He tossed her one and took one for himself. "Crys, don't cry…"

Crystal nodded, yet tears still fell from her eyes. Looking at the Pecha berry in her hands, she began to realize that Gold was a lot more responsible and mature when he needed to be. Deciding to take better care of him from now on, Crystal took a bite.

Meanwhile…

Platinum flew around Four Island on her senior's Xatu, looking for a sign that her seniors were alive. A few kilometers away, she could see Green flying on his Charizard, scanning around Five Island (the red flame on Charizard's tail is easy to spot). The heiress looked down, and saw Diamond on Red's Gyarados. While Diamond looked from below, Platinum flew farther away from Four Island, broadening the search radius.

Several minutes later, she noticed something and quickly flew towards an island. She had spotted a small column of smoke coming from near the shore, which was very unusual…

On the island, Gold looked up at the cloudless blue sky. He took a closer look as he saw something from far away approach the island very fast…

The heiress soon arrived at the island and freed herself from Xatu's grip. She landed softly on the sand some 100 meters away from the source of the smoke, so she started to run. Much to her surprise, she could see Gold lying face down on the water near the shore.

"Senior Gold!" the heiress shrieked, running even faster.

She dragged her senior onto land and flipped him so that he lay face-up. The heiress shook him, but he didn't wake up. His eyes remained shut and he wasn't breathing.

"Senior Gold, please! Wake up!" the heiress screamed again.

But her senior remained motionless. Platinum started to panic and she looked around frantically, trying to think of what to do. Not too far away, she could see Crystal, also lying on the ground.

The heiress ran towards her and tried to wake her up. Again, she was unsuccessful. The heiress dragged Crystal over towards Gold and desperately tried to think of what to do. Suddenly, she felt movement directly behind her, and quickly spun around. Much to her horror, Gold, who was dead a second ago, had sat up and was looking at her with his mouth open and eyes blank.

Platinum screamed as she stumbled backwards. But then, Gold started to laugh. Much to the heiress's surprise, Crystal also sat up.

"I'm really sorry for scaring you, Platinum," she said with an apologetic look. "It was Gold's idea…"

The heiress burst into tears and embraced Crystal. "I – I was so worried, seniors! I was afraid that you were dead!"

Gold set a hand on the heiress's shoulder. "Die? Come on, Dex Holders never d-"

"Gold, shut up. We're lucky to have survived this long," Crystal said, patting her junior on the back. "Alright Platinum, let's get out of here."

"Yes, senior!" The heiress pulled out her Pokégear and contacted Blue. She then sent out her Rapidash and had it use Flamethrower aimed at the sky, acting as a signal flare to the Dex Holders nearby.

Gold slowly rose to his feet and took the last Pecha Berry from his supply bag. He split it in half and gave one half to Crystal.

Crystal received the berry and also stood up. Noticing that Platinum was busy calling the other Dex Holders, she silently whispered to Gold.

"Thank you for everything, Gold."

* * *

**Next up: Diamond & Platinum**

**By the way, I would highly appreciate it if you readers point out (during reviews) which characters seem… well, out of character, and which ones are not. That way, I can change those who need changing, and keep those who don't. For example, I feel that Silver doesn't seem to be in character all that much, so I'm thinking of ways to change that.**


	15. Revival

**Below is the biggest MISC section yet, and by far the most important.**

**MISC: the original text. Diamond and Pearl still refer to Platinum as 'Lady' (ojou-sama **お嬢様 **for Diamond, ojou-san **お嬢さん **for Pearl), and I don't quite recall Platinum referring to Diamond as 'Dia'. She uses polite-form language to everyone, including her own Pokémon. Gold (of all people) refers to his seniors as 'senior' by adding the suffix of **先輩 **(senpai), while all the others just add **さん **(san). Yellow adds the suffix of **さん **to everyone. Crystal adds **さん **to her seniors and **くん **(kun) to her juniors (well, at least Emerald). Seeing how Blue never really talked to her juniors (apart from Silver) that required the use of a suffix, it's hard to tell what she does. She probably doesn't add any suffix. Lastly, Silver refers to Blue as '**ブル－ねえさん**' ****(**ブル- **(Blue) **ねえさん **(nee-san (roughly pronounced as 'ne-eh san', means 'sister'))) while Blue just calls Silver as… Silver. Examples: Gold would say "Red-senpai", while Crystal would say "Red-san" and "Emerald-kun". Yellow would say "Silver-san", and Silver would say "Blue-neesan".**

**Important note: the MISC above is not a random chunk of information like the name suggests. From this point on, I will try to change what Dex Holders say to match what the original. Meaning, Diamond and Pearl would never call Platinum by her name, but instead say 'Lady/Miss Lady', and Platinum will no longer call Diamond as 'Dia'. I had Silver say 'sis' from the beginning so that's fine. Gold will now refer to his seniors as 'senior'. For the likes of Crystal and Yellow, I won't include uses of 'san', 'kun', etc, because… they sound odd when in English. Meaning, nothing will change with what Crystal, Yellow, etc would say. I could change 'san' into 'Mr./Miss', but… that sounds odd (Yellow: "Mr. Silver?"), so no. For Platinum, however, she'll say Miss/Mr. to non-professor-or-Dex-Holders (Platinum: "Miss Candice") as a way of being polite. Now… for Black and White, Black is forced to call White as **社長**, or 'president'. Just saying 'president' feels odd, so he'll say 'Miss President'. White called Black as 'Black-san' at first, but then changed to 'Black-kun', so… she'll just say 'Black' now. Therefore, no changes to Black and White.**

**Whew… Anyways, this one-shot is a sequel to when Platinum was killed. I felt bad about it, so this is me attempting to make amends.**

**Note: "all of the Dex Holders" mentioned below doesn't apply to Black (or White, assuming she gets a Pokédex for whatever reason).**

**Primary: Diamond & Platinum.**

* * *

Revival:

"Hey, Dia! Wake up!"

Diamond slowly opened his eyes. When his vision focused, he could see Pearl looking at him. He looked rather happy about something…

"What?"

"You and I are going to Celestic Town, right now!"

"Why?"

"Celestic. Now!" Pearl yelled. "All the other Dex Holders will be there."

"Not all of them…" Diamond muttered. He turned and looked at the stone he was leaning on. It was Platinum's tombstone. "Not all of them, Pearl… There's one right here."

"Dia… no, Diamond," Pearl started slowly. "Look, it's been 3 years since Miss Lady died. I know her death was hard on you, but… wasting your life here isn't smart. I'm sure that she doesn't want you to do that either."

"Why don't you go and ask her?" Diamond retorted. '_It's my fault that she died. I never should've taken her out that day…_'

"Maybe I will, Dia," Pearl replied. "I'm going to Celestic to meet all the other Dex Holders. And I mean _all_ of them."

Diamond turned to face Pearl. "What do you mean by that?"

Pearl smiled. "I'll see you in Celestic, Dia."

"Pearl, what do you mean?" Diamond asked again. "Pearl?"

But the hasty Dex Holder had already left. Unable to bear the curiosity, Diamond quickly followed.

Celestic Town…

Diamond followed as Pearl led him towards a certain house, which he recognized as Cynthia's grandmother's. Pearl remained unusually quiet, and Diamond was unable to get any information out of him during the trip.

Unlike what Pearl said, not all Dex Holders were in the house. In fact, only Yellow and Crystal were there. Noticing the arrival of Diamond and Pearl, the Cynthia rose to greet them.

"We were waiting for you," she said.

Diamond remained standing, with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Pearl glanced at him before walking towards the other Dex Holders. Cynthia looked at Diamond with sympathy.

"So…" Diamond started. "Why are we here?"

Cynthia signaled him to take a seat, and he did. The Sinnoh champion sat across the table from him and took a deep breath.

"For the past year, I've been researching into various Sinnoh myths in hopes of-"

The Sinnoh champion trailed off when Crystal's Pokégear rang.

"Yo, Super Serious Gal, we're at Spear Pillar," came Gold's voice.

"Alright, Gold. Now, wait there until I-"

Yellow took out her Pokégear and called Green.

"Um… Green, where are you?"

"Turnback Cave. I can see a portal on the ground, and everyone in my team is accounted for. What now?"

"Um… go in. Please remember that you have to get Giratina to open a portal to the Spear Pillar, and then you have to follow it," Yellow replied after consulting with Crystal (who ignored Gold's complaints at this time).

"Understood."

Crystal turned her focus back to Gold. "Gold, Green's team has entered the Distortion World. Proceed as planned. Bring out the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs, and call back once the three Pokémon arrive at Spear Pillar."

Yellow turned to face Cynthia. "Is this really going to work, Miss Cynthia?"

"Yes. It's known that, with the powers of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina nearby, Arceus can do virtually anything. But still, we should only try this once."

Diamond perked up. "Are you trying to tell me that…"

"Yes," Pearl answered instead. "For the past year, we've been researching the possibility of reviving Miss Lady."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Diamond asked, his voice trembling from a mix of excitement and hope.

"Because we were afraid that it wouldn't have a chance of working, and we didn't want to disappoint you."

Crystal walked over and put her hands on his shoulders. "Dia, we have every confidence that our plan will work. So I suggest you take this time to think of what you'll say to Platinum."

Pearl smiled. "Dia, I'll be sure to ask her that question."

Diamond put a hand on his head. "I think I need some time to process this."

Cynthia led Diamond to a bedroom to think things over. "I'll update you on the progress of our plan every half hour."

Diamond sat on the bed and took some deep breaths.

'_Am I dreaming?_' he thought. He pinched himself repeated on the face, but he still didn't wake up. '_So this __**is**__ real…_'

He dug into his pocket and withdrew a folded sheet of paper. He opened the sheet and read Platinum's last message. He could still remember her voice when she said it to him the first time.

"_Thank you for everything Diamond… I really had fun spending time with you. But before we part ways forever, I… would like to tell you that… I… like you… … I __**love**__ you…"_

Just thinking that he would get to see Platinum again made him unusually anxious. He jumped to his feet and paced around, unable to sit still.

Two hours later…

Red's team (consisting of Red and Sapphire) emerged from the dark blue portal, after having successfully convinced Dialga to help. The 'convincing' must've taken some time and effort, as they were covered in scratches and bruises. The portal grew bigger and Dialga came out. It looked around at Spear Pillar and let out a thunderous roar.

At that time, Blue's team (consisting of Blue and Emerald) emerged from the dark pink portal. Unlike Red's team, however, the 'convincing' seemed to have gone very smoothly.

"Whew," Blue muttered. "Mission successful. How'd it go, Red?"

"Eh, it went okay," Red muttered, sitting on the ground. Sapphire sat beside him with a grunt.

"It could have gone better," the Hoenn girl muttered.

The energy detector started to beep loudly. Blue looked up at the sky, and as expected, a rip appeared. From the rip in space, Green's team (Green and Ruby) came out, along with Giratina, which then converted to the Alternate Form.

Gold jumped to his feet. "Alright. Now it's our turn," he said to Silver.

Silver pulled out a bag of all 16 Plates from his backpack while Gold retrieved something that Cynthia found a few months ago… the Azure Flute.

Meanwhile, Diamond continued to pace around the room. He took about 4000 laps around the bedroom, occasionally stopping when he got dizzy. Suddenly Pearl barged in.

"Hey Dia, let's practice a comedy act!"

"Huh? But… it's been 3 years since my last one."

"I know Dia. It's been 3 years for me too. But don't you think that Miss Lady would want to see one of our comedy acts once she returns? We don't want to be rusty now, do we?"

"I guess you're right. It's been too long."

10 minutes later…

Blue watched in agony as all 4 Legendary Pokémon were glowing in a regular tetrahedral shape. The pressure they exuded were enough to force Sapphire (who was too close to the Legendaries) to pass out and force the rest of the Dex Holders to suffer terrible headaches. As such, the Dex Holders moved as far away from the Legendaries as possible, and as such, they now sat right in front of the exit. Yet they still suffered minor headaches.

Red and Green were still standing firm, completely unfazed by the headaches. Blue forced herself to rise to her feet as well, as she didn't want to appear weak in front of everyone. She lost balance and almost fell as she tried to stand up, but Green caught her.

"Thanks, Green," Blue said with an embarrassed look.

Green ignored her and simply stared at the glowing mass of energy. Blue took her Silph Scope and with the zoom function, looked at the center of the tetrahedron. She could see a figure start to form in the center of the intense light and energy.

Ruby sat beside Sapphire and let her rest her head on his leg. The Hoenn girl was still unconscious, and it made him worry. He certainly hoped that nothing bad would-

Blue noticed something about the figure being formed, and quickly approached Sapphire. Seeing how the Hoenn girl was unconscious and thus didn't need her coat, Blue got Ruby to remove it. Afterwards, she forced the two Johto Dex Holders to sacrifice their coats as well.

A minute later, the 4 Legendaries stopped exuding the pressure as the massive amount of energy subsided. The figure in the center of the energy dropped to the ground.

"All you males, turn away!" Blue ordered. She quickly took the 3 coats and rushed towards the figure.

The figure, being Platinum, started to cough violently. She opened her eyes and looked around, surprised at the fact that she was alive. She looked at her hands and a strand of her long dark hair that appeared in her vision.

'_Is… is this really happening?_'

"Platinum!" came a familiar voice. The heiress looked up and saw Blue running towards her.

"S – Senior…" the heiress started. But her throat hurt too much for her to continue. Blue handed her junior the 3 coats, and the heiress, realizing that she wasn't wearing anything, hastily put the coats on to cover herself.

Once the heiress was dressed (as much as possible with 3 coats), Blue signaled the other Dex Holders to come, and under the eyes of the 4 Legendaries, had a tearful reunion.

A few hours later…

Platinum stood outside Cynthia's house, trying to steady her breathing. With Teleport (Crystal gave Blue an Abra for this task), she had returned home to dress herself properly and have a reunion with her family (almost gave her father and the old butler Sebastian heart attacks), and now have come to Celestic to reunite with Diamond.

With trembling hands, the heiress knocked on the door and clasped her hands over her heart. Before long, Cynthia opened the door, and her eyes opened wide in shock. To make this a surprise, Blue didn't report whether the mission as successful or not, and as such, Cynthia and the Dex Holders in Celestic Town had no clue what happened. After a few minutes, the Sinnoh champion let the heiress in and led her towards the other Dex Holders.

Inside, Platinum froze in place as she looked at Diamond, who also stood frozen.

"I – I – Is it r – r – really you?" Diamond stammered, unable to believe what he was seeing.

The heiress burst into tears and fell to her knees, unable to bear the emotions she was feeling. Diamond quickly ran towards her, also crying.

"I – I m – missed you s – so much!" Platinum cried, embracing Diamond when he came close.

Diamond couldn't talk, but embraced the heiress back. If he was dreaming, then he didn't want to wake up. If he wasn't, then his wish had come true, and there was nothing more he wanted.

They kissed in the middle of the room as several other Dex Holders wiped away their tears, and watched the return of her two juniors: Platinum, who had been revived, and Diamond, whose personality had returned to normal.

* * *

**Once again, I felt bad about killing Platinum after she was shot four times. So now she's back, and won't die again.**

**Now, please continue pointing out which characters are out of character. For those who made suggestions, thank you. Your suggestions have been considered, and will take effect.**

**Current changes: Blue: less tricks and plans. Silver: more serious; so he'll talk less and show less emotion. Ruby: less of a pansy; he won't turn his tail and flee at the slightest sign of confrontation with Sapphire, and won't fear getting mashed into a pulp by her for a little while before he chickens out. Platinum: a little more naïve and panicky from time to time.**

* * *

Post Ending:

"So, Miss Lady," Pearl said to the heiress after dinner.

"Yes, Pearl?" Platinum said with an extremely happy smile.

"Did you want Dia to spend his remaining life sitting next to your grave?"

"Of course not!" the heiress exclaimed. "Diamond, I wished that you would be happy. I would have preferred if you forgot about me and lived your life happily."

"I'm sorry, Lady," Diamond said after swallowing the cake in his mouth. "But now you're back. Now we can live on happily."

"Yes we can," Platinum said. "Oh, Diamond, Pearl, I wish to see one of your comedy acts. It has been too long since the last time."

Diamond and Pearl glanced at each other. "Of course. We prepared a few just for you."

* * *

**Added after SE #024: The Set Up II…**

* * *

What Could Have Been (a short segment. The whole replaced section would be a good 2/3 of a chapter):

"Are you ready, Red?" Blue asked through the headset from Celestic Town.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Red replied back from Mt Coronet.

"Okay, Red. Get to the Spear Pillar. You know what to do."

Red took his team (consisting of Gold, Crystal, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald) and headed towards the exit of the cave that led straight to Spear Pillar. His juniors followed close behind, all determined to successfully complete the mission.

"Alright, listen up," Red said as he looked at his juniors. "Our first priority is to find Dialga. Afterwards, we can get it to send us back in time so we can get Jirachi. Remember, the last time Jirachi was awake, Guile was there. This time, we'll blast him before he makes his wish, and we'll use that wish to revive Platinum. Understood?"

"Got it!" Sapphire said with a fist raised in the air.

"Alright then. Let's go!"


	16. Distress

**MISC: Cutting off. '-' is used to note when someone gets cut off. Someone might be talking when someone else chooses to interrupt, in which the first person's speech will be ended by the hyphen. Even descriptions may be cut off by something else that's more important, such as the case in Revival. Another case, while not necessarily a cut-off, someone may begin a speech in the middle of someone else's, and be cut off as a result. An example (that has not occurred yet): "Don't worry, Crystal. You'll be working in a public place, with lots of crowd. Gold won't do anything. (Crystal: "A **_**public**_** place? That's even worse! He'll embarrass me so much, I-") Anyways, the two of you will be responsible for the completion of this task." In that example, Professor Oak was talking, and Crystal was 'cut-off'. This is because the person interrupting doesn't say anything worth noting, and is considered to be random rambling.**

**By the way, Diamond and Pearl calling Platinum as Lady/Miss Lady… Depending on the translation, they will address her as Missy or Little Miss. Keep in mind that these versions generally have Green as Blue, Blue as Green, Calm Mind as Meditate, Tate and Liza are both girls, Magma Admin Courtney as Marge, Aqua Admin Shelly as Angie (or something) and… yeah. Anyways, I feel that the best translation for ojou-sama **お嬢様 **and ojou-san **お嬢さん **would be Lady/Miss Lady.**

**Primary: Green & Blue.**

* * *

Distress:

8 am…

Green took a drink from a cup of water as he read the newspaper. The schedule for that day was quite full. There was a Gym Leader's meeting (which he hated going to) at 10, a training session with Sapphire at 12, a lunch meeting with Crystal (in which he would check how her research was going) at 2, a practice Gym Battle with Platinum at 3, either an actual Gym Battle or a training session with her at 4, then he would treat the heiress to a dinner, during which he would suggest what Gym she should challenge next (the girl was addicted to Gym Battles).

With all that stuff, Green expected that he'd be home by 8 pm that day, and he could then start his own training.

As he poured himself a second cup of water, he heard his Pokégear ring from his room upstairs. After taking another drink, he headed upstairs, wondering who would call at that time. Probably Erika, calling the other Gym Leaders.

By the time he reached his Pokégear, it had stopped ringing. Green took his Pokégear and checked who called. Apparently it was Blue who called, and unlike all the other times, she chose to leave him a voice mail.

'_Great… what does she want now?_' Green thought as he pressed the button to play the voice mail.

A moment later, Blue's sweet voice came from the Pokégear. But her voice was devoid of the usual cheerfulness.

"_Green, have I ever told you how much I appreciate our friendship?"_

"What the…"

Blue had never said anything like that before. Green tried calling her. There was no answer. Usually Blue would answer the moment he called.

'_How odd…_'

Green shook his head and headed downstairs to get ready for the Gym Leader's meeting. He figured that Blue would call him back if she had anything important to say.

30 minutes later, Blue did call again. When Green answered, he realized that it wasn't Blue calling, but rather another voice mail. It was like an automated message.

"_I can't imagine what my life would've been like if it weren't for you and Red. Thank you."_

Green ran back upstairs to his room and got his coat. Something was clearly wrong with Blue, and he was going to find out what.

The very first place Green flew to was One Island where Blue lived. But the girl herself wasn't at her house, and according to her parents, she left somewhere the day before and hasn't returned.

As Green prepared to fly to Pallet Town, his Pokégear rang again. He checked his watch. It was 9 am. So these automated messages were sent once every half hour.

"_I've enjoyed every moment we spent together."_

Green clenched his teeth. Something had happened to Blue, she wasn't home, and he had no clue where she was. Perhaps he could get someone to trace the message to a source…

Green had his Charizard fly straight to Cherrygrove City of Johto. He jumped off when he was a few meters above the ground and landed right in front of the Pokémon Center. Inside, he found the person he was looking for, sitting at a table, reading a book with a glass of iced tea in hand.

"Crystal," Green called as he walked closer. There was no response. The Johto girl probably didn't hear him as the Pokémon Center was quite busy. "Crystal," he called again, louder and closer this time. Again, no response. Green tried something different. "Hey, Super Serious!"

As expected, Crystal looked up from her book and looked at him. Spotting her senior, she quickly closed the book and rose to her feet. There was a slight hint of confusion on her face though.

"Ah, Green! I didn't know you were here," she said with a slight bow. "Um… why are you here? I thought you had a Gym Leader's meeting… and… what did you call me?"

"Seems like you spent too much time with Gold," Green said. "I called your name twice, but you only reacted when I used your nickname. (Crystal: "Huh? I… um… didn't hear you because of the… um… crowd near the reception desk! And that's not my nickname! That's just what Gold calls me! And what do you mean I spent too much time with him? I-") I'm here because of an emergency. Something has come up and I need your help."

Crystal looked surprised. "An emergency? Oh, I don't like the sound of that…"

Green tossed her his Pokégear and sat down on a chair. Crystal sat on her seat across the table from him and looked at the Pokégear.

Green checked his watch. "3 minutes… Crystal, listen. I need you to trace the message that will be sent to my Pokégear in 3 minutes and find out where it's coming from."

"Um… okay," the Johto girl said as she pulled out her laptop from her bag. She looked quite confused. Once the computer booted, she plugged the Pokégear into it and began to do stuff (starting whatever programs and stuff). "Why me? Isn't Blue a lot better at this?"

"Yes. But this emergency relates to her, and you're the a lot more technologically savvy than me."

Crystal nodded and resumed her focus to her laptop. Green noticed that her hands were slightly trembling.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's just that… the last time someone told me that there was an emergency," she started, looking at him once more. "It was when you, Red, Blue, Yellow, and Silver were petrified. Every time I hear 'emergency' I just get reminded of that…"

"Don't worry, Crystal. Tragedy like that won't happen again." '_I hope._'

Soon, the Pokégear began to ring. Green increased the volume so that Crystal may hear.

"_You like me, don't you? I know you do. I feel the same about you."_

Crystal frowned upon hearing the message, and rapidly began typing on her laptop. Half a minute later, she stopped and took a breath.

"Okay, I couldn't trace it completely, but the source is coming from somewhere in Johto," she said. "Northwest from here."

"Hmm…"

"What's happening? Blue would never talk like this… She sounds as if-"

"I know. That's why I need to find her quickly."

Crystal nodded and put her laptop away. "I'll need to come with you. These automated distress calls are made at regular intervals, so maybe I can pinpoint the source eventually."

Green rose to his feet and headed out of the Pokémon Center. Crystal packed up and followed. Before long, they were in the air, flying northwest. They didn't fly too fast, as they needed to scan the general area.

At 10 am, the fifth automated message arrived.

"_I know you think I'm annoying at times, and I'm sorry."_

Crystal carefully balanced her laptop on one hand and typed something with the other. They were currently over Violet City, yet the signal still originated from a position northwest.

Green and Crystal continued to head northwest. They scanned the area for anything suspicious, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. They reached Ecruteak City when the sixth message arrived. And this time, Green and Crystal were on the ground, with the laptop ready (they learned from the whole aerial-laptop usage last time).

"_Do you remember the first time we met? I remember. I go back to that place every now and then to relive the memories."_

"Got it!" Crystal exclaimed. "The source is in Route 38. Close to Olivine."

Green climbed back onto Charizard and flew straight towards Olivine City. Crystal put her laptop away and got her Xatu to take her towards Olivine as well. Roughly three quarters of the way to Olivine, they spotted something peculiar. There was a trail of Tauros, all fainted, that led towards a ring of Pokémon. Upon closer inspection, Green recognized one of the leading Pokémon to be Blue's Blastoise.

Green and Crystal quickly ran towards the ring of Pokémon. Upon seeing them, the Blastoise relaxed and stepped aside. It looked awfully exhausted, same with the other five of Blue's Pokémon forming the ring. In the center of the small ring, Green found Blue. Crystal gasped and shut her eyes. Her senior lay on the ground, her right arm and both legs bent in odd angles, dried blood forming trails from her forehead and mouth, and her clothes were dyed crimson.

Green quickly crouched in front of her and checked her pulse. She was still alive, just barely. Green went over the list of injuries.

"Big cut on the side of her head… looks like she hit her head on a tree. Blood from the mouth… probably an internal damage. Broken arm, broken calf bone on the left leg, knee on the other… and…" Green checked the center of the huge patch of crimson on Blue's clothes. There was a big clump of what appeared to be cloth on her side. He removed the clump and noticed a big gaping wound. "It looks like she got hit by the horn of a Tauros… From all these bruises, it looks like she got trampled a little afterwards before her Pokémon took over."

Crystal shuddered but forced herself to look. "T – That looks like a roll of bandage," she said, pointing to the clump of cloth-like thing. "I think she tried to stop the bleeding herself before she passed out."

Green nodded. "That's the reason she's still alive. Her quick thinking saved her. And it seems that her Pokémon didn't try to move her because her injuries were too great." He sighed and took a look around. "All of you, return to your Pokéballs," he commanded to Blue's Pokémon. "You did well in protecting her. I'll take over from here."

"There's a really good doctor who lives in Cianwood City," Crystal said. "Maybe we should go to him."

"Right." Green took Blue's Pokéballs and looked at Crystal. "You'll need to ride Charizard with me. We can't move Blue ourselves. Your Xatu will need to use Psychic to lift her without her moving at all. Any movement may worsen the injuries for all we know."

On the way to Cianwood, Green called Erika and explained why he wasn't there in Celadon, and why he didn't call her to tell her that he wasn't coming. Though Erika was asking what the emergency was, he didn't bother answer and simply hung up. He wasn't in the mood to explain things.

After meeting with the doctor and waiting as Blue went through all the medical procedures, Green called Sapphire and Platinum and told them that their training session would have to be postponed. He didn't tell them why. If he did, then they would surely come to Cianwood, and he was sure that Blue would need quiet rest, thus fewer people would be preferred. His two juniors sounded very disappointed, but they would have to understand.

Blue was expected to make a full recovery, although it would take a long while and she would have trouble walking for quite some time. After seeing her injuries fully treated, Green left to get some fresh air. He'd been in the hospital for a few hours, waiting for the doctor to update him on Blue's condition.

During the wait, he received more of Blue's automated messages, but they were all repetitions of the previous ones. It seemed that there were only six messages and a random one was selected and sent.

Green sat on a large rock near the ocean and stared into the sea. Crystal stood a few meters behind, watching her senior. She smiled and approached him. She got proof that Green wasn't the heartless jerk that everyone thought he was.

"You look awfully worried. How about I buy you lunch? Maybe it'll get your mind off of Blue for a while."

"Hm?" Green snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Crystal. "Very well. We did schedule a lunch, after all."

Crystal led Green to the nearest restaurant. She ordered herself a salad and a glass of water while Green just ordered a cup of coffee. He wasn't really in the mood to eat anything.

"You know, Green," Crystal started once she finished her salad. "You're awfully quiet today. You care for Blue a lot more than I thought."

Green raised an eyebrow. Did he detect a hint of teasing in her voice? "She's a very close friend. You'd be worried too if Gold was in a similar state." He took a sip from his coffee. "Speaking of Gold, how's the research going? You were supposed to study why certain Pokémon Eggs take longer to hatch than others, and you were working with Gold."

"It's going okay," Crystal replied. "I'll give the full details once I feel it's ready." She sighed. "Why is it that _every_ assignment I'm given is with Gold or near him? I had enough of his bragging and complaining years ago."

"It's because you and Gold work well together. For the same reason, every assignment I give Platinum is always with Diamond."

Crystal's expression suddenly changed to a half panic state. "Wait… are you suggesting-"

"Face it. Gold likes you. And you like him back."

"N – No, I-"

"You can't lie to me, Crystal. I've seen your expression when I tell you to work with Gold. You like the idea."

Crystal groaned. "Don't tell me _you're_ going to laugh at me too! Silver and Emerald have been laughing at me for a year now!"

Green chuckled and finished his coffee. "Don't worry. I have no intention of mentioning this ever again. Now that I think about it, I sounded awfully like Blue. It seems that I spent too much time with her."

"You should really take good care of her," Crystal said. "After all she's been through, she's finally happy nowadays."

"I know." Green rose to his feet. "I'm going to go check on her now. You should go home, Crystal. Enough people's schedules have been ruined this day."

"Eh?" Crystal rose to object, but Green was already on his way towards the cashier. She quickly went after him. "Green, I thought I was buying you lunch today."

"I won't let a junior buy me lunch," Green replied. "And besides, I was supposed to buy lunch today."

Crystal looked stunned for a second before she bowed slightly. "Thank you for the lunch."

Outside, Green watched as Crystal sent out her Xatu, preparing to return to New Bark Town (to Gold's house, for the research assignment).

"Oh, Crystal," he said as a thought occurred.

"Yes?"

"Tell the others. But remember, Blue would need quiet rest. You know what to do."

"Yes. I understand. But I'm not sure if I can convince Silver to stay put."

After a short while, Crystal bowed to her senior and flew towards New Bark. The Viridian Gym Leader headed back to the hospital and entered the room where Blue was. She looked rather peaceful on the bed. She had bandages wrapped around her head, neck, waist, back, arms, and legs, so just about everywhere. Her head was fine except for the gash on the side of her head. No permanent damage, thankfully. But she did have several shattered bones in her arms and legs, injured neck, a few broken ribs, a punctured kidney (that would heal with some help), and a minor blood loss problem.

Green felt that Blue was lucky to have survived the accident, and even luckier to have suffered no permanent damage. He was sure to tell her that once she woke up, whenever that would be.

Next day, 6:50 am…

Green woke up from his sleep when his Pokégear vibrated.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Sorry to bother you so early," came Crystal's voice. "But Silver's on his way to Cianwood right now. I couldn't contact him yesterday, but he heard the news and threatened the information out of Gold."

"Thanks for letting me know. Blue hasn't woken up yet. Silver will need to remain quiet."

After he hung up he went back inside Blue's room (Green slept in the waiting room). To his surprise, he noticed that Blue had moved a little in her sleep, as her left arm was above the blanket. Meaning, she was no longer unconscious.

"Blue? Are you awake?" Green asked quietly. He walked closer and put his hand on her left shoulder. "Blue?"

The girl suddenly grunted. "Ow…"

Green pulled his hand back, realizing that there was a bruise on the girl's shoulder. "So you're awake?"

"Apparently so, Green," Blue replied quietly. She forced her eyes to open and looked at him. "It's good to see you again."

Green sighed. "Pesky girl… what did you get yourself into?" Blue tried to sit up, but Green held her down. "You need your rest." He handed her a notepad that listed all of her injuries.

She took the notepad with her good hand read the list. "Wow. That's quite a list," she muttered. "I suppose I'm lucky to be alive."

"Yes. You're also lucky enough to be able to make a full recovery. No permanent damage, no memory loss, anything."

Blue pushed the note aside and looked around the room. "Hey, where is everyone?"

"No one's here, Blue. I figured that you'd need quiet rest so I made everyone stay home."

Blue smiled. "You know what's best for me. I made the right choice after all."

"You talk too much. You need your rest."

"Thank you, Green," Blue said anyways. "I knew that you would be the best person to call for help. Red and Silver would've done something reckless, but I knew that you would remain calm and be the best help."

Now Green understood why the automated messages were sent to him, and only him (seeing how no one else knew).

"Blue, we'll talk once you're feeling better. For now, get some rest."

"Fine. One last thing, though," Blue said. She started to cough. "Come closer; my throat is hurting." Green did as told so that she may whisper to him. When he came close enough, Blue suddenly pulled him closer with her good arm and kissed him in the mouth. "Thanks again," she said once the kiss ended a few seconds later. She gave him a wink before she closed her eyes.

But before Green turned away, his Pokégear vibrated as another automated message was received. Blue reached for the pendant on her necklace and pressed it.

"What did you just do?"

"Ever since the whole Deoxys incident a few years ago, I programmed a little device on my necklace that would sent a recorded message to you if I press it for a few seconds. That way you would be able to track my location if I need help, and in worst case scenarios, I would be able to tell you how I feel before I die."

"Blue, I have no problem telling you that those messages worried me."

Blue smiled faintly. "I'm glad. It means that you really care about me…"

Green wanted to argue, but chose not to. She wasn't wrong. Besides, he told her to get some rest, and arguing would do the exact opposite. Maybe once she woke up, he'd argue then. Then again, maybe not. He didn't want to get into an argument he knew he'd lose.

Now, the only things left on his schedule were preventing Silver from waking up Blue, and preventing Crystal from saying anything about the whole Blue business she was involved in. There was no need to increase the number of people who would annoy him with that mess.

* * *

**Remember that 'other' Pokémon Special story that was being planned? It's **_**still being planned**_**. But a lot more progress had been made, and soon I would complete the first chapter. Hell, it's about f*cking time.**

**Basic info: not a random compilation of one-shots. But all the pairings that are in here will be there (maybe not Silver and Soul. Don't know whether Soul will exist at all. If she does, then at most she'll be a background character with no importance). It's set before Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum meet the other 10 Dex Holders, but some time after the Platinum arc. At this point, I've seen the start of the arc so I haven't a clue as to how it'll end, and I believe that the Sinnoh trio will meet the others by the end of the arc, but… I'll pretend otherwise.**

**Also, the most important. I said that Special Events is a warm-up for that other currently-unnamed-thing. Some of the one-shots in this series were derived from the basic plans for that other thing. For example, Memory Loss, Stranded, and this chapter all came from such plans. Example of modification: in Stranded, Gold and Crystal leave on a random vacation, the ship encounters a random whirlpool, hits a random **_**rock**_**, randomly sinks, Gold and Crystal end up on a random island, and Platinum randomly finds them. The original plan had Gold and Crystal leaving for a mission on Seven Island, the main bad guys intercept and attack the ship, Gold and Crystal survive, drift to (spoiler) Navel Rock, and escape (takes a real genius to figure out how they escape (ignore this smartass comment if you don't know what Navel Rock is)).**

**There are few things mentioned here and there (such as Platinum challenging other Gyms) in Special Events, that will actually occur in the other thing. And of course, all the MISCs will still apply.**

**Whew… Anyways, please review whether you like or dislike the idea, how this chapter went, suggestions for the next one-shot, and… characters in or out of character.**


	17. Party

**MISC: Distance and Travel. Okay… where to start… How fast do everyone travel? Or rather, how far apart are the towns? If it took Sapphire **_**two**_** days to get from Littleroot to Petalburg Forest, and **_**six**_** days to get from Rustboro to Dewford, **_**how far apart are the towns**_**? It took her **_**11**_** days to get to Slateport from Dewford. Damn. 19 days from Lavaridge to Fortree, and Sapphire **_**flew**_** on Tropius… How the hell did Platinum manage to beat the first 6 Gym Leaders within 25 days? Is Sinnoh like a third of the size of Hoenn? Isn't Sinnoh supposed to be **_**larger**_** than Hoenn? And how the hell did Sapphire take three days to get from Fortree to Sootopolis (with a two-day dive to Seafloor Cavern), if it took her 19 days from Lavaridge to Fortree? Bah! From this point on, I'll have some **_**consistency**_** for city to city travel. Something that feels reasonable, not too fast, but not as slow as a paralyzed, Iron Ball holding Munchlax that spammed Curse (for full specifics, Brave/Relaxed/Quiet/Sassy Munchlax with IV and EV 0).**

**Let's say, for consistency and simplicity, that it takes 6 hours to walk through a route, 2 hours by bicycle, 30 minutes by vehicle (if this occurs) or Running Shoes (Ruby only), and 15 minutes to Fly. Same goes for sea routes, seeing how Surfing is faster than walking but routes are longer (ignore Fly, as time differences are trivial). Of course, these time values are for average, as there are special cases. Such as… 30 minutes for flying on Wigglytuff, and like 1 minute for Deoxys Speed Forme. And let's say Cynthia can ride the bicycle as fast as using Fly (she's ridiculously fast, after all).**

**Sevii Islands: from Vermillion to 1, 2, 3 Island: 4 hours by ship, 2 hours by Fly. Same for 1, 2, 3 Island to 4, 5, 8 (Navel Rock) Island and from 4, 5, 8 Island to 6, 7, 9 (Birth Island) Island. And let's say 1 hour by ship from 1 Island to 2, 2 to 3, 4 to 5, and so on.**

**Inter-regional: two days by ship for Sinnoh to Kanto/Johto, two days for Kanto/Johto to Hoenn, and one day from Kanto to Johto. Saffron to Goldenrod via Magnet Train: eh… 15 minutes, let's say.**

**Whew… we shall ignore all the distance-time-speed related inconsistencies so far.**

**Anyways, this is the start of a Gold & Crystal burst. This series (Special Events) has Gold and Crystal as the main two characters, yet there are 6 Diamond & Platinum and only 3 Gold & Crystal (4 including this one). So the burst shall fix the problem.**

**Primary: Gold & Crystal****.**

* * *

Party:

Hearthome City, Sinnoh, 6:10 pm…

The Ballroom was packed, filled with people celebrating. The Pokémon Association had decided to throw a party, celebrating the 3rd year in a row without any world-threatening disaster. A very rare and joyous occasion indeed. All those who were involved in all of the world-saving moments were invited. Apart from Lorelei, Lt. Surge, Koga, Sabrina, and a few others (who were reluctant to come because of the stuff that they did at first), every Gym Leader and Elite Four members were there. Of course, all the regions' professors, their assistants, and every Dex Holder were invited as well.

Winona stood in the corner with her arms crossed. Although the whole dance and party began 10 minutes ago, she didn't feel like dancing. She didn't really fit either, as she didn't bother attending with a dress (rather, wore complete flight gear, ready to climb onto her Altaria and fly off if needed) and didn't like the idea of dancing to begin with. The only reason she came was because she was the supervisor of the Hoenn Gym Leaders.

Winona grumbled as she watched some of her friends and colleagues dance. She was really bored, and her only possible source of entertainment had yet to arrive. She shut her eyes, wishing Sapphire and Ruby would hurry up. Watching them bicker was definitely better than doing absolutely nothing.

When she opened her eyes, she could see Wallace standing right in front of her. She jumped in surprise at his sudden appearance, but quickly regained composure. Winona scanned him head to toe, noting the really expensive looking suit.

"What?" she asked.

Wallace took a graceful bow. "Would you care to share a dance?"

Winona adjusted the goggles on her helmet before crossing her arms again. "What do you think?" she retorted.

"Come on, Winona. It's a _party_. Lighten up!"

"What exactly makes you think that I'll dance with you?"

"Because we used to, all the time."

"That was a long time ago. We aren't related that way anymore, and your second attempt failed miserably too. So why keep trying?"

Wallace suddenly spun her around by her shoulders, caught her hand and kissed the back of her hand. "Because I know you like it." Before Winona could protest and hide the massive blush, he led her to the center of the room. The Fortree Gym Leader struggled for a while, but eventually and reluctantly agreed to dance.

Before long, the double doors opened and the regions' professors strode in, followed by their assistants. While the younger assistants scattered to participate in the song and dance, the older professors headed straight for the liquor corner, where they'd all have a drink and celebrate the rare occasion in their own way (discussing possible upgrades for the next versions of Pokédex). The Dex Holders entered right after.

Gold, still wearing his hat, goggles, and carrying his billiard cue despite the fancy suit, saw all the people dancing and nudged Crystal.

"Hey, Super Serious Gal, do you even know how to dance?"

Crystal shook her head. A blatant lie, but she didn't want to be seen in public dancing, especially with Gold. She already felt ridiculous enough in the dark blue _dress_ she was wearing.

"How about I teach you?" Gold offered with a grin.

"Not in a hundred years," Crystal muttered.

With a sigh, she headed towards the food corner. Most, if not all, Dex Holders didn't eat dinner yet, so they all headed towards the food corner. Gold however, chose to have a little fun before eating, and ran off somewhere.

Sapphire grumbled as she took a seat. The red dress Ruby made was really uncomfortable. Not to mention the fact that she had no clue how to dance, and didn't want to either. And Ruby was now bragging about his 'beautiful' suit and how great he can dance. She resisted the urge to tell him that the suit and the dress he made sucked, and that his dancing skills were below average. She knew that arguing of such things would result in her telling him that she was better at dancing than he was. Sapphire turned to Green, who simply sat on a chair, waiting for the event to end.

"Green, you're a Gym Leader. Can you tell the Pokémon Association that this whole idea really sucks?"

"Your teacher is also a Gym Leader, and the supervisor of the Hoenn Gym Leaders. Get her to say it," Green replied. "There she is," he said, pointing towards the center of the room. "Along with Wallace, I see."

Ruby turned, saw his master dancing with Winona, and dragged Sapphire towards them. His intention: brag about the 'excellent' work he did on his suit and Sapphire's dress.

"Ruby, I swear I'll _kill_ you if…" Sapphire trailed off, stunned by the fact that her coach was dancing with Wallace. "Coach!" she yelled, as she ran towards them, dragging Ruby along with her. Her intention: congratulate her coach about getting together with Wallace (or so it appeared), and attempt to bring up 'that topic' with Ruby.

Half an hour later…

Blue and Yellow sat by a table quite far away from the food corner, talking to each other. Blue suggested that this was a perfect opportunity for Yellow to get together with Red, and the younger girl could do nothing except blush. The girls glanced at Red, who sat beside Green and stared into the crowd with a blank look, completely oblivious to what was about to happen to him. The girls whispered a plan and headed towards Red and Green.

Green saw Blue stand up in his peripheral vision and soon became alerted. He spent enough time with her to know that something was about to happen. Seeing Yellow with her, he realized that something was going to happen to Red as well.

He nudged Red and with his eyes, pointed at Blue and Yellow who were approaching them. The Gym Leader then extended a fist at Red, and miraculously, the champion understood. Green drew scissors while Red drew paper.

"Damn," Red muttered.

Green rose to his feet and walked away (towards the thick crowd), leaving the poor sap to deal with the coming trouble. Someone had to stay behind and distract Blue. But unfortunately, Blue left Yellow to stammer in front of Red and chased after him. Her intention: not to bother him at all (for once), but rather talk with him and reminisce about the hectic events that happened years ago.

Meanwhile, Crystal searched through the crowd of dancing couples, trying to find Gold. Though she had no intention of dancing with him, she wanted to make sure that he wasn't with some random girl either. Blue would call it jealousy. Crystal would call it… something else.

"Crystal, is that you?" came a suspiciously familiar voice from behind.

Crystal turned around and it took her a second to recognize who she was looking at. "Eusine?" To her horror, he reached forward and clasped her hand.

"Crystal, it's been too long. And might I say," he said, kissing her hand. "That you look beautiful today."

The Johto girl blushed in embarrassment and tried to pull her hand back. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"What do you mean?"

"I seriously doubt that you were invited to this event."

"Please… of course I was invited!"

"What? All these people had a major role in saving the world! From Red and Green to the trainers who sent their Pokémon to calm Lugia and Ho oh, they _all_ saved the world! What did you do?"

"Why, Crystal! I'm offended! I saved you and the Cerulean Gym Leader from my beloved Suicune's crystal wall! How could you forget such heroism?"

"Everyone knows that you only did so to save Suicune. There's no way that you could've been invited!"

"Very well," said Eusine, pulling her closer. "I will be honest. I had Morty pull some strings."

Crystal sighed. "I figured as much." She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes with her other hand and smiled. "Anyways, it's been a while. What are you doing nowadays? Still chasing Suicune? Still selling Suicune pictures?"

"That doesn't matter right now. Come, Crystal, I will show you how to dance!"

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you…"

Meanwhile, Platinum stood near the corner, watching all the couples dance. She wished that someone would dance with her, but so far, she didn't like anyone who asked her. Mainly because they all tried to grab and kiss her hand, and she disliked such physical contact. Unbeknownst to her, Diamond was watching her, wishing that he had the courage to ask her to dance.

Instead, he chose to sit at a table, stuffing food into his mouth. He occasionally looked up from his food to glance at Platinum, looking at the glittering silver dress, and how stunning it made her look. Pearl noticed the look on his friend's face and shook his head.

"Dia, just go and ask Miss Lady for a dance!"

"I… I can't!" Diamond said, hoping that no one else heard. "Besides, I don't think she wants to. She refused to everyone."

"That's because they all made the same mistake. Haven't you noticed that she kept pulling her hand away from them?"

"Well… yeah. I noticed it too. Every time someone touches her, she pulls away."

"So go and ask her to dance before someone else takes her! You're her friend, so she won't say no!"

"I… I don't know. What if she refuses?"

Pearl sighed. "Fine." He walked towards Platinum and watched another poor sap try and fail to get the heiress to dance. He even tried to drag her towards the center of the room and received a slap to the face for his efforts. Pearl couldn't help but snicker. "Miss Lady!" he called.

Platinum looked at him and smiled. "Hello, Pearl."

"Miss Lady, would you like to dance?" he asked, extending a hand towards her.

The heiress hesitated and took a quick glance around her to find Diamond. She couldn't find him in the split second, and instead noticed that there were few more people looking in her direction, waiting for a chance. Recalling that Pearl was quite a dancer, the heiress beamed at him. "If it means that I shall no longer be bothered, then yes, I accept."

Platinum took Pearl's hand and allowed him to lead her in the dance. As they participated in a slow dance, the heiress couldn't help but wonder if Diamond was as good as Pearl. The heiress slightly frowned when she realized that Pearl was leading her somewhere while dancing.

After 10 minutes, Pearl stopped. Platinum took a step backwards and steadied her breathing. The last dance was quite fast paced, and when it ended, the heiress was out of breath. When she took a look around, she noticed that she was standing right in front of the table which Diamond was sitting at.

"Whew," Pearl said from beside. "Hey, Dia, take over, will you? I need a break."

Diamond jumped in surprise and nervously nodded. He wasn't expecting Pearl to dance with Platinum just so that he could pass her over to him. Diamond nervously took Platinum's hand and took a shuddering breath.

"I… uh… I'm not good at dancing, so… please forgive me," he said. He avoided looking at her beautiful eyes and hoped that she would not notice him blushing.

The heiress was avoiding eye contact as well, and also hoped that he would not notice her blush. "That would not a problem, Diamond. But if… if you wish, perhaps I could teach you?"

"I would like that," Diamond replied. '_A lot…_' He kept his gaze down, watching his feet so that he doesn't step on Platinum's toes.

"Diamond, you are doing well. Do not be so nervous," the heiress said (ironically) nervously.

Diamond took a quick glance at her face. Maybe it was the lighting, but to him, it appeared that the heiress was blushing…

Gold, who was taking a break after a short dance with Liza, Roxanne, Flannery, and just about every female non-Dex Holder from Hoenn (except Winona, as Sapphire would surely murder him if he did anything), saw the two Sinnoh Dex Holders dance and rose to his feet. He was going to find Crystal and see if she's willing to dance now. Noticing that she wasn't near the other Dex Holders, he left to find her. Before long, he found her, and what he saw made his blood boil.

"Come on, Crystal! You dance beautifully!"

"Seriously, Eusine, let go of-"

"Hey, Suicune-freak!" Gold yelled, gaining the unwanted attention of the people nearby. "What the hell are you all looking at?" he yelled to them, making them all look away.

"Gold!" Crystal gasped out. "I-"

"Don't know how to dance, huh? Didn't want to dance, huh?" Gold said through clenched teeth.

"Now, now, Crystal is a very good dancer," Eusine said from beside. He still held Crystal's hands and ignoring Gold, proceeded to start another dance.

Gold withdrew his billiard cue and slammed the indestructible thing on Eusine's hand, forcing him to break away from Crystal. When he tried to protest, Gold thrust the cue forward, as if he intended to stab him with it. Eusine quickly dodged, but the cue still pierced through his 'signature' cape.

"You, keep your hands off of my girl!"

"Gold! I don't like him any more than you do, but this is-" Crystal tried to say, but abruptly stopped when Gold glared at her.

"This is completely unnecessary!" Eusine said as he examined the hole in his cape. "This cost me a fortune, you know!"

"If you want to keep that brain inside your head, get the hell out of my sight, you son of a-"

Eusine quickly scurried away and Gold put his billiard cue away while still glaring in his direction. He sighed and turned to face Crystal.

"So what exactly were you doing with him?"

"I was trying to find you, but Eusine saw me and… Look, I didn't want to dance with him, okay?" Crystal replied, carefully selecting her tone so that Gold would calm down. She crossed her arms and grinned.

"What could possibly be funny?" Gold asked.

Crystal grinned even more. "I guess now you know how I feel whenever I see you flirting, huh? You were _jealous_."

"Come now, Crys. We're… _dating_, and you refused to dance with me but instead you were dancing with Suicune-freak. It's not _jealousy_, but rather… … something else."

Crystal shook her head. "Gold, we went out once. And that trip to Lilycove City's _make-out point_ didn't go so well either."

"But… we had fun!"

"_You_ had fun. Pushing me into the ocean isn't fun for me. Anyways, admit it. You were _jealous_."

"Alright, fine. You win, Super Serious Gal! I like you. And I was jealous at the fact that you were dancing with Suicune-freak and not me. Let's just… drop the subject."

Crystal smiled as she took his hands and moved closer to him. "Don't worry, Gold. I'll only like you, and no one else."

"Good! Because I only like you too. All the other girls mean nothing, so don't worry about them."

Crystal stomped on Gold's foot. "Seriously, Gold. Stop flirting with others. It's one thing to have someone hit on you, and a completely different matter to have you hitting on them."

"Fine, I won't do anything that'll make you jealous, Crys," Gold said with a sigh. "But for the record, I never hit on another girl. They all came onto me."

* * *

**Well, this isn't necessarily a Gold & Crystal, seeing how lots of other pairings were in here. Oh well. After this burst, I'll shift my focus onto the 'other' thing, whose title and two main characters will be decided later. For now, here's a preview scene (advertisement), or rather a scene that I want included somewhere (probably not anywhere near the start) in that 'other' thing:**

* * *

Gold staggered around aimlessly in the top floor of the Sprout Tower. He let his guard down, and now this… _thing_ took him over. What the hell was this thing anyways? A failed science experiment, that's what. A mind-control device, that clearly wasn't working properly since it didn't control his mind. Well, not fully, at least. He kept getting urges to eliminate the Dex Holders, though…

Gold could see his reflection on a puddle of water (created from melting ice) in the center of the room. He looked like a twisted abomination now. An ice exoskeleton that covered pretty much his entire body except for half of his face, and three extended tentacles on his right arm. He wasn't deformed or mutated in any way, at least. Just… this experiment stuff formed on top of him. He wondered if throwing himself into an open fire would melt the stuff off of him. He moved towards a window and looked down at Violet City, wondering if he could ever return to himself and whether he would see her again. He wouldn't want to see her right now, though. The last thing he wanted was her to see what happened to him. Then he heard her voice.

"Gold?"

Gold spun around and saw her. Crystal… Instantly, the experiment took control over his body and he ended up charging straight for her.

'_No, not her!_'

Gold tried his absolute best to prevent himself from attacking, but couldn't stop. He could control his left arm, but nothing else. With his usable arm, he tried to point to the exit, hoping that Crystal would take the hint and leave. But even as his left arm pointed to the staircase, his right arm was lashing at her. Crystal ducked and rolled out of the way of the three tentacles.

"Gold, what happened to you?"

Hearing her voice again, Gold gained more strength. He grabbed his right wrist so that he may no longer attack Crystal. But when she came closer, the experiment became stronger. It gained control of the left arm, and in an instant, aimed a punch directly at her.

Gold shut his eyes in a futile attempt to stop the experiment, under the thought that it needed to see through his eyes to find its target. But Crystal's screams busted his theory and Gold was forced to open his eyes. He almost passed out when he realized that the tentacles on his right arm had hit Crystal's left leg, and shattered the bones in three separate places.

She lay on the floor, screaming in pain as she clutched her horribly misshapen leg. Seeing her in so much agony made Gold freeze, and the experiment took over. By the time he realized what was happening, his left hand was choking Crystal. Her cries have died out but now she was struggling to breathe. Tears from her eyes fell onto Gold's hand, and it made him want to cry as well. But apparently he couldn't do that either. Gold struggled in his efforts to loosen the grip over Crystal's throat. He was losing in the fight, and he could feel the pressure increasing slightly. Before long, he would end up killing her…

'_Crys! I know you can't hear me, but… I'm sorry. I have no choice… I hope you understand!_'

Before he lost control, he threw Crystal through the window… Since the target was out of its sight range, the experiment stopped trying to control Gold, and he could finally focus on something other than stopping himself from killing Crystal. He approached the smashed window and looked down. If he threw her far enough, then she would've hit the lake that covered a big portion of Violet City. If not, then she would've hit the forest and it was possible that she did not survive the fall. He didn't realize that as he became more and more angry at the thought that he seriously injured Crystal and almost killed her, he was getting closer and closer to breaking free of the experiment…

* * *

**A little longer than I thought it would be, but whatever. This scene would be fixed up before it appears some time on the 'other' thing. And the inspiration for the 'experiment' is… somewhat obvious (in my point of view, at least). The only change from the source of inspiration is that the victims are not mutated and aren't deteriorating, and that the whip-like tentacles are on the other arm.**

**Anyways, leave your questions and comments as reviews, expect more from the Gold & Crystal burst, and expect some more (shorter) preview scenes.**

**Added after SE #024: The Set Up II…**

* * *

What Could Have Been:

Gold sat by a table near all the other Dex Holders, taking a break from dancing with every female non-Dex Holder from Hoenn, except for one. Emerald seemed to have noticed, as he saw Gold dancing with all sorts of ladies from Hoenn while he was searching for potential prank targets.

"Hey, Gold," he said as he stood beside his senior. "I saw you dancing with all those people," he started.

"And?"

"Well… why not Winona?" Emerald asked. "I thought she was going to be the first one you asked for a dance."

Gold grinned as he rested his head on his hands. "Well, let's just say that… she's too old for me."

However, Winona happened to be talking with Sapphire nearby and she heard the goggled boy. Gold could hear some commotion behind him and turned around, only to see Sapphire holding her coach's arms, trying to stop the Gym Leader from mauling her senior…

"I'm not even 30 yet!"


	18. Rampage

**MISC: Pokéballs. They're not indestructible, but are damn close. Well, they're pretty much impervious to impact, at least. Crystal can kick it so hard that it **_**appears**_** to be traveling at supersonic speed, yet doesn't even crack. Gold can hit it as hard as he can with his indestructible billiard cue, and have the Pokéball smash into a rock, or hit it hard enough that it bounces off the wall, ceiling, opposite wall, and the floor over and over again, yet the ball would never crack. You could even have **_**Groudon**_** step on it and I doubt that anything will happen to the Pokéball… And these things are only worth 200 PKD (1 USD by my currency)… Now I'm curious… has a Pokéball ever been smashed in Pokémon Special?**

**Primary: Gold & Crystal.**

* * *

Rampage:

Goldenrod City arcade…

Platinum watched with interest as Gold battled Silver in a computer game. It was something called a 'real time strategy' game, and it piqued her interest. She requested for the game manual, and Gold tossed it to her.

The heiress read through the manual and found the key information. The different classes of soldiers and their placement seemed quite important. There were 4 classes of soldiers, various levels per each type, and a few vehicles for fortress attack. There were also specific soldier types specialized for terrain.

Silver was playing in another room, so Platinum could only watch Gold's screen. From what she could tell, the goggled boy was getting thrashed. Curiosity overcoming her, she carefully requested if she could play as well, and Gold let her take over. Within 10 minutes, Platinum was now winning. Silver kept sending messages, wondering how Gold suddenly became so good (he didn't know that Platinum was in Goldenrod, as the heiress had only dropped by half an hour ago while touring around the city).

Gold typed his message. _"Well, well, well. Looks like I beat your ass good. Time to pay, Silver."_ He turned to look at Platinum once the game ended. "Thanks a lot. I couldn't have done it without you." He then typed another message. _"31 times you've beaten me, but this time, I beat __**you**__, all alone, with absolutely __**no one's**__ help whatsoever!"_ He turned to Platinum and put a finger to his mouth, telling her to keep it a secret.

Silver had typed a message again, it seemed. Gold didn't bother to look, but Platinum read the message and looked alerted. She told her senior, and the goggled boy turned to read the message. He quickly rose to his feet and ran out of the room, and Platinum followed.

"_Gold, sis just sent me a message. Get over to Viridian City ASAP. It's Crys."_

By the time Gold and Platinum were outside in the streets of Goldenrod, Silver had already left, flying as fast as possible on his Honchkrow. Platinum volunteered to take the Magnet Train to Saffron City and then taking a bus straight to Viridian City, as Gold's Mantine (and Remoraids) could only carry one person.

With thrust (the power of the water from Remoraids in this case) at maximum, Gold reached Viridian City within an hour, speeding past Silver in the process. In Viridian, Gold could see a familiar looking Aerodactyl and a Xatu flying towards the hospital. Since he was already on the ground, he ran after them.

When he got there, he could see Red running with someone in his arms and Blue limping after him. As Gold ran past her, he could see quite a lot of blood trickling from her knee. But he ignored her and ran after Red.

"Senior Red!"

"Sure, run past your senior who has a BROKEN F*CKING KNEE!" Blue screamed at him, showing anger for a change. The goggled boy ignored her unusual burst.

When Red turned around, Gold could see Crystal lying unconscious in his arms, bandages wrapped around her head. The goggled boy offered to take over, and Red let him. As Gold lifted Crystal onto his back, Red ran back to help Blue, who had been waiting.

Blue was diagnosed with a broken knee cap (and a big piece of jagged rock sticking out of the knee, whose pain was quickly draining her patience), while Crystal had a concussion and would remain unconscious for a short while. The explanation was that Blue and Crystal went to visit Red in Mt. Silver, but on the way they were caught in a rock slide.

While Gold regained his composure at the news that Crystal would recover, Emerald remained panicky. To his relief, the Johto girl woke up the next day.

"You're awake!" Emerald said happily. "You really had us worried."

Crystal groaned and put a hand on her bandaged head. "What happened to me?"

"We were caught in a rock slide while we went to visit Red," Blue replied. "Gold must've been really worried. He got here faster than anyone, you know."

Before Gold said anything, Crystal spoke first. "Who's Gold?"

The goggled boy shook his head. "Ha ha, very funny, Super Serious Gal. You know, Wildchild Girl over there already tried this."

"Who?"

"Seriously, Crys, enough," Gold said with a sigh.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Crystal replied.

Gold spent enough time with her to know that she was telling the truth. Her expression didn't show a hint of faking.

"Ha, that's a good one," the goggled boy said. He was trying to convince himself that Crystal was faking. Even when the doctor came inside and told everyone that Crystal may have partial amnesia, he didn't believe it. But eventually, he snapped. "AH, SHIT!" He smashed his billiard cue on the nearest wall (denting the wall as a result) and left.

"He has some… issues, doesn't he?" Crystal said once the door slammed shut.

"Considering the relationship between the two of you, it's understandable," Blue said with a sigh.

"Relationship? With him? That's impossible!" Crystal said. She winced as her head suddenly gave a jolt of pain.

"Senior Crystal? Do you… remember me?" Platinum asked with a worried expression.

Crystal shook her head. "I don't remember any of you."

Green sighed. "This is going to be a problem. I'll need to tell my grandfather that his assistant is out of commission for a while." He looked at Crystal. "You're supposed to submit a report on the differences between Pokémon living on mountains and caves, but I guess it'll have to be postponed until after your… 'vacation'. Try to recover within a week, two weeks at most."

"Um… okay?"

"And when you recover, come visit the lab."

Green left right after, along with everyone except Silver, Blue, Platinum, and Emerald.

"You don't remember me either?" Emerald asked. "Earl's Academy, the 10th Dex Holder, capturing Jirachi, anything?"

"The 10th what?" Crystal had a blank look on her face. "Um… sorry, I don't know…"

Emerald looked down in disappointment and slowly walked out. Blue signaled Platinum to go after him and see if she could cheer him up. She turned to Crystal and told her to get some rest so her physical injury may heal faster.

"Silver, go find Gold, and… try to get him to lighten up."

With the help of a crutch, Blue walked back to her own room so that she may rest as well.

Next morning…

Silver came to visit Blue and check her knee.

"I'll live, Silver," Blue said, signaling him to calm down. "How's Gold doing?"

"He's… uh… distressed, I guess," Silver replied. "He's acting quite different. More aggressive in everything, as if he's venting his anger."

Blue sighed. "We need him calm. The last thing we need is another Dex Holder out of commission due to anger. Silver, call the others, and see if Crys is awake."

4 hours later, New Bark Town…

Gold moved left and right, trying to find a good shot in his game of pool. Quickly losing his patience, he cursed, jumped onto a chair, and used his billiard cue as a golf club, striking the cue ball as hard as he could. The ball went flying off the table and smashed into the wall with a loud thud. Noticing that the ball was now stuck in the wall, Gold cursed again and went to pry it back out. Once he got the ball out and tossed it back onto the pool table, he heard a knock on the door.

When he opened the door, he found Platinum waiting outside. She bowed politely as a greeting, and Gold let her in.

"So, what do you want?" he asked rather roughly as he returned to his recreation room downstairs.

"I wanted to ask how you were doing," the heiress said, noticing how much of a mess her senior's room had become. She tried her best to avoid the pieces of shattered glass on the floor (it wouldn't hurt her because of her boots, but she didn't want shards of glass ruining them). "Also, I came to inform you that senior Crystal has slowly begun regaining her memory."

"Really?"

"Yes. She successfully remembered senior Emerald when he brought a picture of Earl's Academy. I believe that a significant item or an object of her past is bringing back her memories."

"That's good! I'll go get a picture of Lugia or something and take it to her then," Gold said with a happy expression.

"Um… it is not that simple," Platinum muttered nervously. Gold looked at her, demanding an explanation. "We told senior Crystal of her… relationship with you, and she detests the idea. She made it clear that she does not wish to see you…"

Gold clenched the handle of his billiard cue so hard his hand turned white. After a few seconds, he suddenly calmed down. "Fine. If it makes her happy, then fine. Go back to her and tell her to forget about me. Oh wait, she already did, didn't she?"

"Senior?"

"I always feared this would happen. I always thought that she'd leave me someday. To think that it would actually happen…" Gold turned to glare at Platinum. "What are you still doing here? I told you to go back and tell her to forget me!"

"Senior, you are frightening me…"

"I said NOW!" Gold yelled, slamming the cue on the wall directly over the heiress's head. Platinum shrieked in surprise and covered her head with her arms. Seeing her terrified expression, the goggled boy took a deep breath to try to calm down. "… Sorry," he said quietly. "Just go."

Platinum bowed and hastily ran out through the door. Once she left, Gold looked around his room, at all the dents and holes in the wall.

"This is going to cost a shitload money to fix…" As he began cleaning the room of shattered glass, his Pokégear rang. He checked, and noticed that Emerald had called. "What do you want?"

"I think you should hear this," Emerald said quietly. He increased the volume so that Gold could hear what was going on.

"Listen, all of you," came Crystal's voice. "Right now, I only remember Yellow and Emerald, and I will remember the rest of you in time. But I don't want to remember that Gold fellow. There is no way that we were dating! I would never like a guy like him! I'm beginning to think that this is just a-"

Gold hung up and threw his Pokégear onto the pool table. With another curse, he left his house. He headed towards Olivine City, with the intention of taking the ferry to Hoenn.

When he returned a week later, he noticed that there were over 100 missed calls on his Pokégear. Majority of the calls came from Emerald and Red, and a few from the other Dex Holders, all trying to check on his condition. Gold deleted the missed calls list and then blocked Crystal's number. The last thing he wanted was the girl herself to call and check on his condition.

A few hours later, Soul called. Gold picked up, wondering what she wanted. It was pretty obvious why she called, but he couldn't ignore his childhood friend.

"… Gold? Are you okay?" she asked, her voice filled with worry. "Where were you? You weren't home for the past several days."

"Hoenn. A vacation, I guess."

"… I heard from Silver. I just want to say, if you need any support…"

"Oh great, so you heard everything," Gold said roughly. "I don't need your support! I'm perfectly fine! What do you think?"

"Gold, don't you think you're overreacting? Crys only forgot about you because of her amnesia, and what she said was probably because of-"

"Soul, I'll be honest. I always thought that it was too good to be true. I always suspected that Crys pretended to like me because she felt pity. So-"

"You can't possibly-"

"I'm not finished. Anyways, so now Crys has amnesia, forgets about me, and look what happens. I was right. It was too good to be true. She no longer feels pity for me, so she's being completely honest. And look. She hates me now." Gold sighed. "Only if she told me earlier… Oh well." Before Soul could say anything, he hung up.

He tossed the Pokégear away again and went up to his bedroom. There wasn't anything much to do, so he was going to take a nap.

Viridian City hospital…

"Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Dia, Pearl, and Platinum," Crystal called, pointing to each Dex Holder. "And wherever Silver went. Of course I remember you all. I think my amnesia disappeared! I remember Professor Oak, everything about Pokémon capturing, Earl's Academy, the orphans, capturing Jirachi, everything!"

"You still don't remember Gold, do you?" Blue asked.

"I thought we weren't going to mention that guy."

Silver returned to the room as he put his Pokégear back into his pocket. "Soul called. She said that Gold was at Hoenn for the last week. That's why he didn't answer any of our calls."

"Soul… why do I dislike her?" Crystal muttered. She closed her eyes and tried to remember.

"She's the childhood friend of Gold, and you're jealous of the fact that she's really close to him," Blue said.

"That can't be true."

"Crys, call Gold. He's back from Hoenn, so you should be able to contact him."

"Fine, I'll call," Crystal said with a sigh. "Wait, where's _my_ Pokégear?" she asked when she received Silver's Pokégear.

Green tossed her bag (which was on the floor in front of the bed) and she caught it. She dug inside, found her Pokégear and instantly noticed that Gold's number was the first number on the contact list. But when she called, she realized that her number had been blocked.

"He blocked my number," she said with a frown on her face. "I wonder why."

"Um… I believe that you hurt his pride, senior Crystal," Platinum said from beside.

She sighed and told everyone what she saw when she went to Gold's house several days earlier. She didn't tell anyone because she thought that it was just her senior angry from what happened, but now she realized that it was more than that.

"He… he told me to forget about him?" Crystal asked disbelievingly. "Did he actually say that? He doesn't seem like the kind to say such things."

"I'm telling you, you and Gold were dating before this whole mess started," Blue said from beside. "But hearing him like this… You really hurt him. The least you can do is go and talk to him before he destroys himself."

Crystal nodded. She felt sorry for Gold, and felt guilty because she was the one who caused him to rampage.

Several hours later (after getting checked by the doctor, taking a shower, and getting ready to visit), Crystal arrived at New Bark Town with Silver.

She recognized Gold's big fancy house and it triggered the memory from the time when she visited for the first time. Silver knocked, but no one came to open the door (Gold was asleep, his mother was shopping in Goldenrod). With a sigh, Silver reached into his pocket and turned to face Crystal.

"You remember about my past right?" he asked. Crystal nodded. "The whole Mask of Ice and what I've been through?" Again, Crystal nodded. "So you won't be surprised by what I'm about to do, right?" With another sigh, he pulled out the tools required to pick the lock. He didn't like picking locks in public, but there was no choice. At least it was dark outside (around midnight), so no one could see. But although the main lock was picked 5 minutes later, the door still wouldn't fully open, as there was another lock that only opened from the inside. Silver looked at Crystal once more. "Now, you're sure that you won't be surprised?"

"Um… yeah, I guess. What are you going to do?"

Silver reached into another pocket and pulled out what looked like a… Crystal gasped in shock.

"Silver! Is that a knife? How long did you have it?"

"Since I was ten. Don't think about it too much," Silver replied. He jammed the end of his knife into the second lock and hammered the handle, effectively smashing the lock.

Once the door fully opened, Silver led Crystal to Gold's recreation room, thinking that Gold would be down there. But no one was there.

Crystal could remember being in the room before, and as she noticed each dent and hole in the wall, felt worse and worse. On the pool table, she spotted something: a photo, just ripped into 4 pieces. Upon putting them together, she gasped in shock. The photo was a picture of her first kiss, the one with Gold…

"This… this was from Sinnoh!" Crystal exclaimed. "I remember! It was my birthday and… we all went to Platinum's mansion… then we went on a ski trip and…" She gasped again. "Gold!" She hastily ran upstairs to his bedroom, and just as she thought, she could hear him snoring. She knocked on the door as hard as she could. "Gold, this is Crystal! Open up!" she yelled, when nothing happened. "I remember everything! Open up!"

Before long, the door opened and Gold appeared, billiard cue in hand. He didn't look surprised or happy to see her at all.

"Did you not notice me sleeping?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Gold, I remember everything! Listen, I'm so sorry for-" Crystal started, but Gold cut her off.

"You can stop pretending, Crystal. I already know."

The Johto girl gasped. When was the last time Gold called her by her full name? "W – What do you mean pretending?"

"You don't have to worry about hurting my feelings. If you really wanted to leave me, then just leave. Don't pretend to like me."

"B – But… I – I really do like you…"

"Scram," Gold said coldly. He roughly pushed past her and went downstairs to his recreation room.

After a moment of shock, Crystal followed. Downstairs, Silver was still looking at the dents and holes in the wall.

"Hey, Silver. Care to play a game of pool?" the goggled boy asked.

Silver glanced at Crystal's worried expression then at Gold's angry face, and wondered what happened.

"Gold, please listen," the Johto girl said. "I didn't mean what-"

"You've said enough. Go away now."

Silver looked surprised. He glanced back and forth between his two friends. Realizing that this was a dispute he could not afford to get involved with, he walked away, ignoring Gold yelling at him to get back.

Gold cursed and set up the pool table nonetheless and prepared to take a shot. Crystal put a hand on his shoulder. "Please…"

"You're really clueless, aren't you? I'll say it again. Listen carefully," Gold snapped, glaring at her. "You. Said. Enough. Now beat it." Seeing the hurt expression on her face, he softened a little. "Listen. You would've been happier if you didn't remember me. So go away and do whatever to forget me. I'll be perfectly fine."

Crystal started to cry. "I – I'm sorry…"

Gold turned to his pool table and tried to focus on taking a shot. But hearing Crystal cry made him lose focus. He turned to look at her again and studied her expression. She really wasn't pretending. She turned away and tried to leave, but he stopped her.

"Wait, Crys," he said with a sigh. "I'm… sorry. It's been a… frustrating week. I missed you."

"I'm really sorry, Gold. I don't want to lose you…" Crystal wiped away the tears and tried to calm down. "I missed you too…"

"You said that you didn't want to remember me. You also said that you would never like a guy like me."

Crystal sighed. "When we first met, I did believe that I would never like you. But after all we've been through, I began to like you. I really do love you, Gold. A few days ago, I didn't remember anything, which was why I said I wouldn't like you." She trembled as she suppressed more tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "I was never pretending to like you. I always loved you since the year before we started dating. I… I don't know if you want to believe me…"

Gold glanced around. Seeing how Silver wasn't there anymore, he gently kissed Crystal.

"I believe you." The goggled boy took a deep breath and grinned in the way that was so familiar to Crystal. "Hey, Super Serious Gal, if you're willing to give me one more chance, how about I take you on a vacation?"

"Didn't you just come from a vacation? Besides, Green told me that I have some reports to finish," Crystal replied, relieved by the pleasantly familiar grin and the not-so-pleasantly familiar nickname.

"You just recovered from amnesia. Don't you think that you need a vacation?"

"Well, Green did tell me to recover within two weeks at most… I guess that means I still have a week of 'recovery'…"

"So what do you say?"

Crystal smiled and kissed him. "I'd love to go with you."

* * *

**I originally wanted to title this as "Memory Loss II", but that would've given away too much. Anyways, here's preview Scene 2:**

* * *

Platinum watched in horror as her senior remained perfectly motionless in the water tank. Blue had come to try to rescue her, but ended up being captured as well. And now, she had been trapped in a water tank for 10 minutes, and had stopped moving a while ago.

The lone grunt that was supposed to make sure the prisoners did NOT die hurriedly ran over and dragged her motionless body out of the water. Her eyes were slightly open but were blank. The grunt kicked her in the ribs to see if she was just unconscious, and seeing how there was no reaction, checked her pulse.

The heiress began to cry when the grunt shook his head and walked over to a phone. He stood right in front of the phone, wondering how the hell he was going to tell his supervisor that a prisoner under his watch drowned… He remembered his superior's orders quite clearly…

"_Now remember. If she dies, we ALL die. She has some really powerful friends, remember, and they'll be seriously pissed if we kill her. We're already losing. No need to piss off the enemy. Also, if anything happens to her, I'll gut you personally. So, make sure nothing happens to her!"_

"Senior…" Platinum muttered as tears streamed down her cheeks. But to her surprise, her senior's face started to melt off, and the heiress realized that it was a Ditto mask (that reached past her neck).

Blue, who had used a fake mask of herself to pretend she drowned (the grunt couldn't feel her pulse through the Ditto) and to ensure that she had a method of breathing (the Ditto made air pockets behind the neck, invisible because of the trainer's hair). Once the Ditto rolled off of her face, she carefully looked around. The grunt was looking in the opposite direction, still staring at the phone.

With a grin, Blue spat out a paper clip (which she had hidden before she was captured) which landed on her stomach. Her Ditto was too weak to transform into a key, so she had to break the chains herself. Her hands were tied behind her, so she twisted and turned until the paper clip landed on her hand. A few minutes later, she had successfully picked the lock and now her hands were free. She sat up and picked the lock tying her ankles together.

Afterwards, she rose to her feet and stretched. She massaged her ribs where the grunt kicked her and grumbled silently about improper treatment of prisoners. She looked over at Platinum and put a finger to her lips, telling her to remain silent.

The older girl silently walked closer to the grunt, wondering how she should take care of the situation. Standing right behind the grunt, she straightened her clothes and crossed her arms. She noticed that the grunt had a knife on the table. She eyed it and planned her move.

Just as the grunt was reaching for the phone, Blue put an arm around his throat, kicked him behind the knees and held the knife in the other hand.

"Bad news," Blue said rather angrily. The heiress noted that her senior sounded… scary.

"Y – You're alive?" the grunt exclaimed. "Yes! I'm saved! I'm safe now! I'm…" he trailed off when Blue put more pressure on his neck. "Oh, right…"

"… Sure. You're _safe_. We'll see how long you stay that way."

"How did you get free?"

"Listen, I'm not feeling too good right now. Under any other circumstance I'd jump at the chance to…" Blue trailed off, remembering what she was supposed to do. She moved the knife in front of the grunt's eyes. "Anyways, don't try anything. Keep your hands where I can see them. If you move, well… I'd have to cut you a second smile."

"Okay, I'll cooperate…"

"Good."

* * *

**Guess where the inspiration for this scene came from. Another blatantly obvious copy… I might as well put up a disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: the quotes/ideas that I've taken from other video games (and other media) are **_**clearly**_** not mine. … There are worse disclaimers.**

**If you know where the 'hidden' quote from this preview scene came from, then good for you.**

**Added after SE #024: The Set Up II…**

* * *

What Could Have Been:

"You've said enough. Go away now."

Silver looked surprised. He glanced back and forth between his two friends, wondering what he should do. Gold looked away and began setting up the pool table. Crystal put a hand on his shoulder.

"Please…"

"You're really clueless, aren't you? I'll say it again. Listen carefully," Gold snapped, glaring at her. "You. Said. Enough. Now beat it."

Crystal started to cry. "I – I'm sorry…" She covered her face with her hands as she cried, and Gold returned his focus to the pool table after glaring at her for a few more seconds.

Silver decided that he needed to snap Gold back into his senses. Without warning, he stepped forward and punched the goggled boy in the face. Gold gritted his teeth and retaliated with a punch of his own, officially starting a fight that had both Johto Dex Holders rolling on the ground in a cloud of dust, throwing wild punches at each other.

Crystal looked surprised and tried to stop her two friends from fighting. But in the process, Gold accidentally hit her in the mouth with one of his wild punches. Crystal staggered backwards and fell. Gold saw her fall and instantly stopped fighting.

"Hey, Crys, you okay?" he asked as he kneeled beside her. He held 3 fingers in front of her eyes. "How many fingers am I holding?"

Crystal groaned as she put a finger in her mouth. When she pulled the finger out, she could see some blood on the fingertip.

"Does it matter, Gold?" she asked with a sigh. "If… if you want me to leave that much, fine…" She tried to stand up, but Gold stopped her.

"Wait, Crys," he said with a sigh. "I'm… sorry. It's been a… frustrating week. I missed you."

At this time, Silver headed upstairs, feeling the need to leave his two friends alone. Also, he couldn't stand the emotions…


	19. Surprise Day

**The last of the Gold & Crystal burst. The 'other' (Special Adventures, as it's called) is set for release a week after.**

**MISC: Height. Groudon is 11 feet tall. Yes, 11. Which would make it roughly twice the height of a human being, yet in the Ruby/Sapphire arc, that Groudon is HUGE. It's like 50 feet tall! Well, I guess it makes some sense that Groudon will be massive. In that regard, Regirock, Regice, Registeel should be around 6 feet tall, but appears to be 11 feet tall in Ruby/Sapphire and Emerald arcs. If everything was up to scale, the top of… err… Registeel's… **_**head**_** wouldn't be big enough for Wallace and Steven to sit on it simultaneously. But it's apparently big enough for Steven to lie on it once he (shouldn't be a spoiler) dies… (shouldn't be a spoiler) temporarily. … If any of the mentions of events prior to the Platinum arc are spoilers to you, then… catch up.**

**Primary: Gold & Crystal****.**

* * *

Surprise Day:

"Silver, where are you?"

"Johto. Why?"

"Could you go spy on Gold for me?"

"… Why?"

"Because his birthday is in 3 days and I want to make sure that he doesn't know what I'm getting him!"

"His birthday's in 3 days? … Eh, whatever."

"So will you spy on him?"

"Why exactly do you need to get him a gift without him knowing?"

"Because I want to surprise him! I… owe him one for my birthday…"

"… Crys, the guy's an idiot. He'll be surprised with anything."

"Silver, please. I want to make it a special event… just him and… me."

"… I will pretend that I did not hear that… Sorry, Crys. You're on your own."

"Silver, Silver! … Darn…"

July 21, 6 am…

Crystal gently landed in front of Gold's big fancy house (or as Silver would call it, big freaking house or occasionally big f*cking house) and took a deep, shuddering breath. She had no clue whether Gold was expecting anything, thanks to someone's lack of cooperation. Only thing she could do was hope that what she planned was going to be a surprise. She reached into her bag and withdrew a notepad that consisted of her plan with Gold for the day.

1st phase…

Crystal looked around to make sure that no one was looking. Once she was satisfied that she was all alone, she got her Tupeon to use Psychic to unlock the door from the inside. Once the door opened, she noticed Gold's Explotaro sleeping right behind the door. The Typhlosion woke up and realizing that the door had opened, prepared to use Blast Burn to remove the intruder. But it recognized Crystal, and although it was confused why she would break into its trainer's house, stepped aside and let her through. She put a finger to her lips, telling the Typhlosion to remain silent. She then proceeded to head towards the stairs. If she remembered correctly, Gold had moved his bedroom to the 3rd floor from the 1st for whatever reason.

After silently making her way to Gold's bedroom, she peeked inside. Suiting his nickname (Pokémon Boy), Gold was asleep in the room with all of his Pokémon asleep scattered around the room. The Pokémon woke up and noticing an intruder, prepared to attack.

Crystal opened the door and tried to calm everyone down, but they only did so after Gold's Aitaro recognized Crystal and told the others to calm. The Johto girl sighed and made a note to herself to never sneak into Gold's house too early in the morning.

She approached Gold (who was snoring really loud) and shook his arm.

"Hey, Gold, wake up!"

But the sleeping boy didn't wake up. Instead, he tossed and turned, accidentally striking Crystal in the face with his other hand.

"Ow! … This isn't going according to plan…" Crystal muttered. She rubbed her sore cheek and looked into a mirror. Her cheek was starting to turn red. Grumbling, she approached Gold once more and sighed. "GOLD, WAKE UP THIS INSTANT!" she yelled, making every Pokémon in the room jump in surprise.

Gold, who was facing Crystal's direction with half of his upper body almost off the bed, also jumped in surprise. He tried to sit up and because of his precarious positioning, fell of the bed… and onto Crystal. The Johto girl yelped as Gold knocked her down to the floor.

"Hey, what the hell?" the Johto boy yelled. He scrambled off of Crystal and backed away. "Super Serious Gal? What the hell are you doing here?"

'_Ungh… this is __**really **__not going according to plan…_' "G – Good morning, Gold, and happy birthday!" Crystal said with a fake smile.

"Sh*t, you almost gave me a heart-attack! Is that your idea of a birthday gift? Or was it payback for what I did in Snowpoint?"

"No, no, I was just trying to wake you up," Crystal explained. "You're the one who slept like a rock! If you woke up when I shook you, none of this would've happened!"

"How'd you get in here anyways?"

"I just… listen, that's not important. Just brush your teeth, freshen up, and get ready for the day. I'm buying you breakfast today."

"Sheesh, Super Serious Gal. You could've just called me instead of sneaking in. What are you, one of the kidnapped duo? Sheesh."

Crystal waited outside the room and sighed. 1st phase failed horribly. She rubbed her sore cheek and seriously hoped that the other parts of the schedule would go smoothly.

2nd phase…

Crystal looked at her notepad. She was going to buy Gold breakfast, but not in New Bark Town. _Way_ too many random girls who know Gold… To avoid running into states of _jealousy_ in this special day, Crystal chose to get breakfast in Violet City. The problem with this part of the plan is that… Gold would be complaining a _lot_ during the half hour flight to Violet City (15 minutes to Cherrygrove, 15 minutes to Violet from there).

Within a few minutes, Gold came out, fully dressed in his regular attire. He yawned and stretched his tired limbs.

"What now?" he asked.

"Well, let's go eat breakfast in Violet City," Crystal replied.

"Why in your hometown? Why not mine?"

Crystal instantly thought of an excuse. "You've probably been eating at restaurants in New Bark just about all your life. I think it would be a nice change for you to eat in Violet City, don't you think?"

"Fine."

Crystal grabbed her boyfriend by his wrist and dragged him downstairs towards the front door. Gold's mother saw her son being dragged out of the house by a girl (who she never saw entering), and looked at the doorway for a second before she resumed focus on her own breakfast.

30 minutes later, Gold and Crystal arrived in Violet City. Gold looked freshened up from the flight; Crystal did not. She blew a strand of hair away from her eyes. That flight was rather rough. The wind was strong enough to mess her tidy hair (mess a bit at least), and Gold's whining during the flight partially depleted her patience.

But sensing her change in mood, Gold had stopped complaining. He silently followed his girlfriend as she took him to a restaurant. But before Crystal pointed at the restaurant she picked, Gold ran towards a better looking restaurant, which was also a lot more expensive. Crystal sighed and followed.

Inside the high quality restaurant that Gold picked, he took a seat on a small table for two. Crystal sat down and looked through the menu (and noticing the prices). Much to her surprise and horror, Gold selected 4 separate courses.

'_I don't have enough money for all those… Even if I eat absolutely nothing, I can only pay for one course… But… it's his birthday! I can't limit his options… I can't make him pay either…_' Crystal stifled the urge to tell Gold to pick just _one_ course. Instead, she let him order all he wanted, and she didn't order anything for herself. There was no need to make the debt even larger.

The moment the food arrived, Gold dug into it at light speed while Crystal watched. She was so hungry… and watching her boyfriend eat like a Snorlax didn't help either. She grumbled to herself that Gold probably didn't even notice what was wrong.

But he did. When the 4th course arrived, Gold claimed that he was full and gave the food to Crystal. The Johto girl knew that the goggled boy was nowhere near full, but accepted his offer. It wasn't common for him to sacrifice anything.

Once Crystal finished eating, she headed towards the cashier to pay the bill. Gold followed. She pushed him out of the restaurant so that she may deal with the embarrassing situation by herself. She took the bill and noticed that the price of the meal was over 5 times the money she had…

"H – Hey, listen," she whispered, signaling the clerk to come closer. "I don't have enough money to pay for this, but… I live in this city. Can I buy on credit? I'll pay back within this week…"

The clerk shook his head. "I'm sorry, ma'am. No can do."

"Please, I'm beg-"

"Hey, Super Serious Gal, what's taking so long?" Gold asked as he walked up to her.

"N – Nothing," Crystal quickly lied. "I… um… you should wait outside!"

Gold grinned; he knew what was going on. He quickly dug into Crystal's bag and found her wallet, much to the girl's horror. He took note of how much money she had, and then snatched the bill away from her.

"Yikes…" he muttered, noticing the huge gap. '_She has 3000 PKD, and our meal cost 16000 PKD…_' "Hey, your food is too damn expensive!" he said to the clerk. "For a price this high, I expected some _quality_ food! The food wasn't even all that great! You're ripping us off!"

"I'm… sorry, sir, but I am not responsible for the prices."

Gold glared at the clerk for a second before he changed his expression. "Fair enough." He reached into his pocket and withdrew two 10 000 PKD bills. He winked at Crystal and gave the bills to the clerk. "Keep the change. Let's go, Crys."

Crystal looked surprised for a few seconds before she ran after Gold. "H – Hey, wait!"

"What?"

"Why did you do that?"

"Well, if I didn't, then you would've had to either beg for a _long_ while, or work the debt off. I can't see you begging for something like this, and you already have enough stuff to worry about to get another job."

Crystal smiled and hugged him. "Thank you, Gold."

"You know, you could've just told me that you didn't have enough money. I wouldn't have ordered all that."

"It's your birthday, Gold. I didn't want to limit your options."

Gold laughed. "Fair enough. So, I saw those tickets in your wallet. I assume we're going to the movies now?"

Crystal nodded. "Yes. I picked the movies that I know you'd like… … the ones that I hate. And Gold, don't look through my bag. Don't you know any better?"

Gold started to walk, and replied in the tone that he knew would irritate Crystal. "Yes, ma'am, I won't do it again." He turned to face her and grinned. "Oh, and you owe me by the way. Seeing it's my birthday, you owe me double."

Crystal's face became pale for a second. '_40 000 PKD?_' "… Let's discuss that later… tomorrow, maybe." '_I'm not going to argue with you on your birthday. But the __**moment**__ the date changes…_'

3rd phase…

Crystal groaned as she kept her eyes shut. She knew she wasn't going to like the movie… it was way too gruesome for her taste. And now, to prevent tainting her mind, she chose to cover her eyes.

"Hey, Super Serious Gal, aren't you going to watch?" Gold asked from beside.

"Of course not. Just tell me when the violence is over," Crystal muttered.

"Okay, it's over," Gold said a minute later.

Crystal looked at the screen just as a man got his head blown off by a shotgun. She quickly shut her eyes again and groaned.

'_Like I didn't see that one coming… Why did I trust him?_' "You're a jerk, you know that?"

Gold was trying not to laugh. "Sorry, Crys, I just _didn't see that coming_!"

"Thanks to you, that image will be stuck in my head forever…"

"Well then, it's a good thing that you didn't see the scene where a guy gets his arms and legs cut off by a-"

Crystal put her hands over her ears and kept her eyes shut. "I don't want to know!"

Gold grinned. After waiting a few seconds, he yanked Crystal's hand off and whispered in her ear. "Scizor."

"I didn't want to know, you jerk!"

"Look, there it is!"

Crystal looked at the screen for a split second before she shut her eyes again. She saw a golden Scizor (shiny), covered in blood, smash a person's head with Bullet Punch. Crystal checked her watch. 55 minutes to go…

An hour later…

Crystal staggered out of the Violet City theatre. She fell for more of Gold's tricks and ended up seeing more of the movie than she was comfortable with. Why does she keep believing him? She sat in the shadow of a tree and sighed. She brushed strands of hair out of her eyes and groaned. Why did Gold's birthday have to end up so tiring?

Gold sat beside her. "I'm starving here, Crys," he complained.

Crystal reached into her bag and tossed him a plastic bag. Gold caught it and looked inside. Apparently Crystal had made some sandwiches… that tasted like paper. He immediately regret his decision to eat half of the sandwich in a single bite. He was about to complain when he noticed that the Johto girl seemed to be experiencing a headache.

"How are they?" she asked. She kept her eyes shut and tried her best to forget those bloody scenes from the movie. When Gold didn't reply (trying to think of a non-insulting way to say that they sucked), she sighed. "Not good, huh?"

"I didn't say anything."

"Sorry Gold. I tried."

The goggled boy put his sandwich down and put an arm around Crystal. "Relax. You did great. You're trying too hard." He forcefully swallowed the paper tasting stuff in his mouth and kissed her in the cheek. "Thanks for today."

"I owed you for my birthday. I heard that it was you who planned the whole thing."

"And so it was," Gold said. Noticing that Crystal still had her eyes closed, he took the half-eaten sandwich and tossed it to the nearest garbage can. He grinned when the sandwich successfully went inside the garbage can without creating any mess. "So, now what?"

Crystal sighed. "Well, I was going to take you to the lake, but…"

"I think I'm a little tired, Crys," Gold said. "I think you are too. Why don't we just stay here and relax?"

"That sounds good." Crystal leaned against him and sighed. "Did I surprise you with this though?"

"Well, even without that near heart attack you gave me earlier today, yes. I'm surprised that you were willing to put up with me all day long."

"This is a _special event_. I wouldn't put up with you all day long every day."

* * *

**Whew. And so ends the Gold & Crystal burst.**

**Next up: I have no clue. Probably Ruby & Sapphire. Probably.**

**Also, here's the 3rd and last preview scene:**

* * *

Sapphire peeked through a bush into Violet City. So far, no one was in sight. Since the city was abandoned, the only people she expected to find were bad guys. No civilians would have remained.

According to what Professor Elm told her team, the bad guys were hiding something near the lake, and Red had dispatched her to see what it was. Depending on what was hidden, Sapphire was ordered to destroy it, leave it, or call for help.

Sapphire ran from the bush and climbed onto a tree. Remaining hidden behind the thick leaves, she looked towards the lake. She could see a group of 6 people doing something.

'_Hmm… how strange,_' she thought. '_They don't look like they're hiding anything… They seem like they're… waiting…_' She gasped upon realizing something. '_It's a trap!_' Just then, something hit the tree and Sapphire jumped off. '_Forget stealth! Assault!_'

"There she is!" came a voice from the lakeside.

Sapphire pitched her Blaziken's Pokéball at the nearest bad guy as hard as she could. The ball hit him right in the face and knocked him unconscious as the Blaziken came out of the ball in midair.

"Blast Burn!"

The Blaziken thrust its arms forward, shooting powerful flames from its wrists. Sapphire quickly ducked to avoid an attack from behind. Noticing the attack to be Sludge Bomb, she sent out her Aggron and hid behind it.

"Iron Defense," she ordered.

The immunity to Poison-type moves served well and Sapphire intended to use the time to heighten her Aggron's defense. Once the smoke from the attack cleared, she peaked around her Aggron. She noticed that apart from the 6 at the lakeside, there were 3 more bad guys who seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Sapphire pondered whether she should call her teammates for help, but seeing how the bad guys were only sending out the evil-team-standard-issue Pokémon (Zubats, occasional Golbats, etc), decided not to. She snapped out of her thoughts when one grunt made a blind charge at her. While Blaziken punched the grunt's Golbat out of the air, Sapphire slugged him in the face with full power.

"Boss, we're going to lose if you don't intervene!" one of the grunts yelled.

'_There's a boss?_' Sapphire thought to herself.

She noticed a shadow of a Pokémon suddenly fly past her. She turned to prepare for another enemy, but upon seeing the Pokémon, gasped in shock and started to tremble. She was looking at her worst nightmare… Salamence. Scenes from that dreaded event many years ago started to flash across her mind. Getting attacked by a Salamence, watching Ruby fight it, watching him get hit by a Dragon Claw in the process…

Sapphire tried to focus on the ensuing battle but couldn't. When the Salamence roared, she gasped and trembled backwards. The Dragon-type Pokémon charged at her with Dragon Claw, and instead of swiftly jumping out of the way, she simply dropped to the ground, using her arms to protect her head. Suddenly, she heard a loud thud and felt the ground shake. She looked up and saw the Salamence look straight at her. She backed away at the intimidating glare…

"_Look, I've chased away the Salamence!"_

"…_Scary… so scary…"_

'_Scary…_' Sapphire looked up at the Salamence. She remembered her vow after the first Salamence event. '_I must get stronger… I must learn to protect myself and the others…_' She clenched her hands into fists as determination ran through her veins. '_Yes, I can beat this. I can win…_' "Chaka, Blast Burn!" she yelled out as she rolled away from the Salamence.

"Hydro Cannon."

Sapphire jumped in surprise as her Blast Burn was neutralized by the Hydro Cannon. There were only 4 people who knew Hydro Cannon (5 if Platinum learned), and all of them were on her side… She looked at where the Hydro Cannon came from. She could see… Swampert…

"Zuzu?" she muttered in disbelief. She quickly looked left and right and suddenly froze. The boss of the enemy grunts, standing near the grunts, wearing an ice mask, was… "Ruby?"

Ruby pointed at her. Sapphire turned around just to see the Salamence swing its tail at her head with Iron Tail…

* * *

**Does the scene seem familiar? Well, it should. Expect more in Special Adventures. The preview scheme went as follows: preview 1 had shock, preview 2 had something different, and preview 3 had something familiar.**

**More information on Special Adventures: As mentioned, not a compilation of one-shots. If you were hoping for a compilation of one-shots, well… Special Events will still be up and running. The two main characters will be Gold and Crystal. Any scene in Special Adventures that seem particularly pairing-heavy will also appear in Special Events, just modified. Soul does NOT exist, and as such, Crystal will have her HGSS attire.**

**Review. Now. Because lots of reviews are appreciated.**


	20. TSU & Training

**For those who may not have realized, chapter 1 of Special Adventures, The Package, is up. If you have not yet checked, after reading this one-shot, leave a review, **_**then**_** check it out. Leave a review there too. **_**Do it**_**.**

**Note: the MISC recap in Special Adventures states that Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum are 4 years younger than Gold and Crystal, while they are 3 years younger in Special Events. This is because of a rumor that the Platinum arc is 2 weeks/months (one or the other) before HGSS. Special Adventures assumes that the rumor is true, and Special Events assumes that the rumor is false. If anyone can confirm or bust the rumor, I would appreciate it.**

**Primary: Ruby & Sapphire.**

* * *

The Set Up:

Sapphire sat on a thick tree branch outside Ruby's house, wondering where the ex-Johto boy went. Normally, he would tell her where he was going, but not this time. Sapphire jumped off of the tree branch and upon landing on the ground, turned the corner to get to the front door.

But to her surprise, there was someone standing near the door, and recognized the person as Platinum. Sapphire scratched her head. The heiress should've been in Petalburg City, challenging the Gym there.

"Hey, Platinum, what are you doing here?"

The heiress turned and upon seeing her senior, gave a polite bow. "Hello, senior. It appeared that senior Ruby's father was absent from the Gym and I came here to see if he was home. But it appears that he is not home either. Also, senior Ruby had called me an hour ago. He wishes you to meet him in Slateport City."

"Slateport?" Sapphire tilted her head, wondering what Ruby was doing there. Ever since the Groudon and Kyogre incident, all Contests were to be held in Lilycove, so there was no reason for Ruby to be in Slateport. "Okay…" Sapphire put two fingers in her mouth and gave an ear-splittingly loud whistle. Within a few minutes, her Tropius appeared and landed in front of her. Sapphire hopped on and turned to Platinum. "You coming? You could ask Ruby where his dad is."

The heiress nodded and climbed onto her senior's Tropius. As they approached Slateport, Sapphire scanned the ground while listening to Platinum as she described her Hoenn Gym challenges so far. Nearby what used to be the Hyper Rank Contest Hall, Sapphire spotted Ruby. To her horror, it appeared that Ruby was being attacked by a group of eight people.

"Ruby!" Sapphire exclaimed.

Platinum spotted Ruby just as he dodged a Thunderbolt. The heiress squinted for a better view, and noticed that her senior looked pretty hurt. Sapphire gritted her teeth and jumped off of the Tropius.

"Ah, wait, senior!" the heiress yelled. She noticed something was odd, but it was too late. Sapphire was already plummeting to the ground, aimed at one of the attackers. The heiress could only get her senior's Tropius to land somewhere.

Sapphire landed on top of one of the attackers, knocking him down to the ground. She followed up with a quick punch to the back of the head, knocking him out. She quickly rushed towards Ruby.

"Ruby!"

Ruby turned, and seeing Sapphire approach, ran towards her. "Sapphire, what are you doing here?"

Sapphire tackled him to the ground as she checked his injuries. "Are you okay? What did they do to you?"

"… Damn it, Sapphire!" Ruby exclaimed.

"CUT!" someone's voice thundered from behind. Sapphire spun around and saw a man come out of hiding from the bushes, with what appeared to be a small book in his hand. The man looked at Ruby and sighed. "What. The. Hell. Was that?"

"Director, come on! This isn't my fault!" Ruby yelled back.

"I warned you that this was your last chance! You already failed this scene eighteen times because you didn't want to get dirt on your pants! And now finally we have a good looking scene and you screwed it up again!" The director turned to look at the unconscious actor. "Someone tend to him, please."

Sapphire had a blank look on her face, having no idea what was happening. Ruby glared at her for a few seconds before he began brushing the dirt off of his shirt.

The director sighed again. "I never should've come to this region… here I am, trying to make a movie without the chance of being interrupted by that ridiculously loud voiced punk, and all of a sudden this wild girl randomly drops from the sky and knocks out one of the actors…" He turned to the staff. "Pack it up people; we're getting out of here."

Ruby jumped to his feet. "Hey, what about the movie?"

"Forget it, kid. Deal's off."

"Director, we spent too much time and effort on this movie," one of the staff members said.

"I know that. Everyone, listen up!" the director yelled. "We're going to Johto! New Bark Town is supposed to be a calm and peaceful town, and we'll film there. Let's move!"

Sapphire watched as the actors and staff members moved out. She turned to look at Ruby, who was kneeling on the ground, pounding the grass with his fist.

"So… you're in a movie, huh?"

"Not anymore, thanks to you," Ruby replied with a sigh. "You know, when I said 'come meet me in Slateport', I meant watch me act, not drop from orbit and ruin my chance of being in a movie."

At that time, Platinum came running towards him. Ruby took a handkerchief and after wiping away the fake blood from his face, glared at her.

"Why did you not stop Sapphire from ruining my movie?" he asked rather angrily.

"By the time I noticed something was odd, it was already too late…" Platinum replied quietly.

Sapphire watched from behind as Ruby chastised the heiress. Platinum kept her head down as she listened to her senior yell at her.

"Alright… my dad went Fortree City a few hours ago. Assuming he didn't come right back home again, he should still be there. So go and challenge him," Ruby said after a minute of continuous scolding.

Platinum bowed to her senior and quickly ran off. She wished that her senior would've been a little gentler, but… like father like son, apparently.

Once the heiress disappeared from view, Sapphire sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. It was her fault that Platinum got scolded…

"Well… um… sorry, Ruby," she said after a moment of silence. "You should've just told me that you were going to be in a movie."

"I was going to make it a surprise. But you just had to ruin it. Why'd you jump off Tropius anyways? If you remained calm for a little longer, you would've seen that it was just an act."

"Ruby, you know exactly why I couldn't just sit around. It's the same reason why you forgot to hide your true strength during that Grumpig stampede years ago," Sapphire said after a sigh.

Ruby thought for a second. "Right…"

"Besides, the last time I just sat still…" Sapphire reached and removed Ruby's hat. Upon seeing the scar from the Dragon Claw, she fell silent.

"I can take care of myself, Sapphire," Ruby said. He took his hat back and put it on to cover the scar.

"Sorry. When I saw you being attacked, I… couldn't think of anything else."

"It's nothing. Thanks, though."

"You know I… still like you."

Ruby and Sapphire both stared at each other for a while, in awkward silence. Ruby cleared his throat and turned away.

"I know."

Sapphire snapped out of her thoughts. "What about you?"

"Huh?" Ruby turned back to face her.

"Do you l-"

"Hey, if you'd give me a ride, I want to go home and wash all this stuff off," Ruby said, pointing at the make-up he had to wear for the movie scene (fake blood, dirt, etc). Sapphire glared at him. "And afterwards, let's go to Johto."

"Why Johto?"

"Let's just say that I want revenge for my lost movie opportunity, the movie's going to be filmed in New Bark Town, and that we know someone who lives in New Bark who excels in ruining stuff. And I don't want to miss it when it happens."

Sapphire smiled. "I don't want to miss it either." '_Oh well… better luck next time. This is still better than nothing, though._'

She grabbed Ruby by his hand and after whistling her Tropius back, jumped on. On the flight back to Littleroot, Sapphire noticed how differently Ruby was holding onto her. Instead of holding onto her shoulders to avoid falling off, he was gently embracing her…

* * *

**June 15****edit: the second short one-shot is below.**

**Primary: Silver & Soul.**

* * *

Training:

Silver waited patiently outside Soul's house in New Bark Town. Because her battling skills were subpar, he was going to train her. If things go right, then there would be no more worries of her being attacked by wild Pokémon or… others. Silver had seen Blue get attacked from behind by some twisted freaks. It was certainly possible that these kinds of freaks would attack Soul as well.

Silver glanced around Soul's house and spotted Gold's big f*cking house. He kept hidden from the view of the house; the last thing he wanted was Gold to come and ask what he was doing in New Bark Town. So far, no Gold.

Before too long, the door opened and Soul came out. She slung her bag over her shoulder and with a giggle, ran over towards Silver.

"I'm ready, Mr. Hero!" she squealed out. "I mean… Mr. Teacher!"

Silver glanced around to make sure no one heard her. "Alright then. Let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"Route 45. Where else?"

"Route 45? Can your Honchkrow carry both of us?" Soul asked, tilting her head.

"We're not flying there. We're walking there."

Soul gasped. "Walking? But…"

"Climbing high ledges and rocks would be good training, for you and your Pokémon."

Soul narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "What does that mean? Are you saying that I need more exercise?"

Silver avoided eye contact and began to walk. "I never said anything."

Soul pouted but followed Silver nonetheless. Silver made a note to himself to not say things that imply… anything about her. He would remain wordless.

Halfway in Route 29, before entering Route 46, Silver abruptly stopped. Soul accidentally bumped into him and wondered why he stopped.

Silver quietly signaled Soul to head towards Route 46 while looking in the direction of Cherrygrove City. Soul looked past him to see what was so interesting.

"Hey, is that…" she started.

"Yes. That's Gold… quietly now, before he no-"

"HEY GOLD!" Soul screamed at the top of her lungs.

Gold, who was busy picking Apricorns with Crystal, heard his name and turned around.

"Hey, that's Soul," he muttered. Crystal abruptly turned to look at him. "With Silver… Hey, Super Serious Gal, let's pay them a visit."

"Gold, I don't really want to…" Crystal tried to protest, but Gold grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her.

"Yo, Silver!" Gold yelled as he ran towards him.

Silver sighed and turned to face his fellow Johto Dex Holder. Soul waved at Gold and he nodded back. Crystal narrowed her eyes and scowled at the little exchange, but quickly changed her expression to normal. As a response, she waved at Silver, but as normal, he didn't really respond. Soul didn't seem to mind either.

"Silver, where are you going?" Crystal asked.

"Route 45," Silver replied shortly.

Gold grinned. "Oh, I see. I heard from Soul that you're training her… All by yourself. So it's going to be _just the two of you_." Silver groaned as Soul blushed. The goggled boy started to laugh. "Don't worry, we won't get in your way." He turned to face Crystal. "Come on, Super Serious Gal. We should get these Apricorns to that Kurt guy."

Silver abruptly walked towards Route 46.

"Well… bye, Gold, bye Crys!" Soul said. She waved at them before running to catch up with Silver.

10 hours later…

"Silver!" Soul yelled.

Silver climbed the high rock ledge and turned around. He could see Soul quite far away.

"Can we have a short break?" she yelled. "My feet hurt!"

"We just had a break!" Silver yelled back.

"That was two hours ago!"

Silver sighed as he made his way back to Soul. She was sitting on the ground, trying to catch her breath. She wiped the perspiration from her forehead and crossed her arms.

"You're going too fast! Can't you slow down a little?"

"I am going slow. If I was going fast, we'd be at Blackthorn by now."

Soul started to complain and Silver began to ask himself why he's bothering to train her personally. He sighed and sat down beside her.

"Fine. We'll take a five minute break. And then we'll have no more breaks until we get to Blackthorn City."

Soul gasped. "But we're only halfway there! Are you trying to kill me or something?"

Silver put a hand on his head. '_That's it…_' "Fine then. I say we're done training. We'll camp here, and tomorrow, we'll go back home."

Soul fell silent. "I'm sorry, Silver… But this is just… too much for me."

"Don't worry about it."

"If you don't train me, then what's going to happen? You can't protect me all the time."

"I'll see if I can get someone more experienced to train you," Silver said. '_Maybe I can get sis and Green to help. They trained Yellow so it won't be that difficult…_'

"So… you're not going to train me anymore?"

"Once you learn the basics, we'll train together," Silver said. "And if you need any help, call and I'll be there in an hour."

Soul smiled and moved so she could see Silver's face. "Don't make a girl a promise if you know you can't keep it."

"I promise."

Soul kissed him in the cheek and giggled as he turned red. Silver cleared his throat and rose to his feet. He gave his bag to her and turned away.

"You can get started on the dinner. I'll set up our camp for the night."

Soul jumped to her feet and gave him a hug from behind. "Thanks, Silver! I'll make you the best dinner ever!"

* * *

**This is the last Silver & Soul. No more.**

**Next up: that's for me to know, and you to find out.**

**Chapter two of Special Adventures, Reveille, is coming soon.**


	21. Hidden Talent

**Surprise! A second Black & White! A little harder than Gold & Crystal or Diamond & Platinum, but… here it is anyways.**

**MISC: mechanics. Hmm… how much of the game mechanics are involved in the manga? Gender, types, type effectiveness, abilities, natures, move combinations, move power, and I guess Pokédex descriptions, which aren't actually used in the games. EVs and IVs would be impossible to implement in the manga, and base stats… are basically ignored. Ruby's Skitty (along with Poochyena and Ralts) beating a Salamence? Skitty has 45 Attack, 45 Defense, and 50 Speed, compared to Salamence with 135 Attack, 80 Defense (also Intimidate) and 100 Speed. Salamence would shred that Skitty into velvety ribbons. So yes, base stats are completely ignored. Also, considering that a Magnezone has higher Special Attack than Arceus… base stats are better left ignored. They are only in the games to create balance. Slaking has higher Attack than Groudon? Yeah, right… I can't see Slaking packing enough power to crack planets, but I can see Groudon doing that easily.**

**So, what mechanics are in Special Events and Special Adventures? Not the 4-move limit (because that's ridiculous), but base stats will be mentioned loosely, I guess (examples below), and the other mechanics that are in Pokémon Special. Oh, did anyone notice how big Arceus is in the HGSS arc? It's supposed to be 10 feet tall, yet its FACE is as big as a human being.**

**Primary: Black & White.**

* * *

Hidden Talent:

White watched in horror as Black continued to get beaten. She didn't know why this was happening. Some trainer, a really _strong_ trainer, using Pokémon she never saw before, was attacking with absolutely no reason. It wasn't a Pokémon battle either. The other trainer was simply attacking.

Black tried to fight back, but his Munna and Braviary were taken out by a Dark Pulse from some fire-breathing Pokémon and everyone else was downed by a Shadow Ball from some shadow-like Pokémon. The enemy trainer laughed and ordered another Dark Pulse, aimed at Black for the 7th time. This time, the attack hit him on the head and knocked him out cold.

"Black! No!" White screamed. She turned to glare at the enemy trainer. "Why are you doing this?"

The trainer didn't reply and simply ordered a Shadow Ball at Black. White saw the attack and did the only thing she could think of. She stepped into the attack. She screamed in pain as the Shadow Ball hit her directly above the heart and knocked her down. The attack nearly knocked her out and she couldn't breathe. There were quite a few people nearby, but not one dared to intervene.

Coughing violently, White slowly sat up. She put a hand over her heart to help withstand the pain and glared at the enemy trainer.

"Crunch," the enemy trainer ordered.

The fire-breathing Pokémon leapt towards White. The president screamed as she tried to back away, but the Pokémon was too fast and ended up biting her left leg. She desperately hit the Pokémon in the face to get it away, and succeeded after a short while. The fire-breathing Pokémon, angry at being smacked in the face, delivered another Dark Pulse. The attack hit White on the right arm and knocked her back down to the ground. She clutched her injured arm and forced herself to sit up.

'_I… I have no choice!_' "Fine, you big jerk!" she yelled. "If you want to fight that much, then fine!" White clenched her teeth and rose to her feet, carefully balancing on her right leg. She could feel blood trickling from the leg injury.

"Oh? And I suppose _you're_ going to fight me?" the trainer mocked. "Little Miss Coward is going to fight? Oh, I'm scared! After your boyfriend tried and failed, what chance do you have?"

White turned to look at Black's Munna. "You! Eat my dreams!" she ordered, gaining confused looks from everyone nearby. The Munna looked over at its unconscious trainer, wondering what to do. Black gave pretty strict orders to _not_ eat anyone else's dreams. "I'm not going to ask again!" White yelled. The Munna jumped in surprise and did as told. After all, its trainer never said anything for cases where someone else _wants_ to get rid of his/her dreams. "… Don't bite too hard," White whispered before the Munna clamped onto her head.

"… The hell?" the enemy trainer muttered.

'_Ow… my head… But this is pretty cool! So this is what Black does so often?_' White thought as black and white spots appeared in her vision. '_Okay… that fire-breathing thing… Considering the power of the Dark Pulse and Flamethrower compared to its other attacks, I guess it's a Fire/Dark type Pokémon. And that shadow thing… Seeing how it was partially weak to Munna's Psychic type attacks, I guess it's a Ghost/Poison type… They're both fast and strong with special attacks, but they did take quite a bit of damage from physical attacks… so…_'

White lifted the Munna off of her head. With another glare, she reached into her bag and prepared to fight…

Two hours later…

…

"Black, can you hear me?"

…

"I'm sorry, Black… I should've helped… I should've…"

Black opened his eyes. '_What happened? … Where am I? And where's that son of a-_' He looked to his right, where he could hear someone sobbing.

White was sitting on a chair beside him, with bandages wrapped around her arm, and chest. She was crying, and because of her cap, failed to notice that Black was awake.

"I'm sorry… If I helped, then this wouldn't have happened…"

'_Help? How would she help?_' Black thought. A theory popped in his mind, and listened attentively to what White was saying.

"It's all my fault… I could've beaten him…"

'_Say what?_' "Uh… Miss President?"

White froze. '_… Was he awake the whole time?_' She slowly raised her cap so she could see him. Yep, he was looking at her with a confused and surprised expression. "Black, y – you're awake! I was so worried!" '_Must… change… subject!_'

"Yeah, I'm fine, but… what'd you say?"

"You got hit on the head with a Dark Pulse! I was afraid that you wouldn't wake up!"

Black narrowed his eyes as White began ranting about how worried she was and how he wasn't there to protect her and on and on. He put a hand on her knee to try to get her to calm down. It had the reverse effect, since his hand touched the injury on the president's leg (he couldn't see because of the bed's elevation).

"Ow! Black! That hurt! What's wrong with you?" White yelped out. She now began ranting about hurting her when she was trying to take care of him.

Black slowly sat up. The president was acting weird…

"Miss President, what happened to that asshole trainer?" he asked.

"Um… s – someone came to my help!" White stammered as she desperately thought of an explanation. "Um… someone… with a really strong Dark type Pokémon. He… um… had red hair and… silver eyes! And…"

"Then what did you mean when you said that you could've beaten that jackass?" Black asked. As he expected, White froze and couldn't reply. "So you _could_ battle, and battle well! You were lying to me when you said that you couldn't fight at all." To his surprise and horror, White started to cry. '_What the… … did I do something wrong?_' "Uh… Miss President?"

"I'm sorry for lying, Black," the president sobbed out. "But… you don't understand!"

"What do you mean?"

"Whenever people see me battle, they all think I'm some kind of a… monster! They all stare at me… and avoid me like I'm some kind of a plague!" White took a shuddering breath. "I… I gave up on battling years ago. I only have one Pokémon, but it's enough to make people scared of me. I started BW Agency so I wouldn't have to battle anymore…"

Black raised an eyebrow. "I… see. Can I see your Pokémon then?" he asked. White sighed and gave him a Pokéball. Through the translucent red top of the ball, Black could see inside, and saw the 3 headed Brutal Pokémon. '_Yikes… no wonder people got scared._' "How about I help you catch some normal Pokémon?" he offered. "That way you can battle without people running away."

White wiped away her tears. "Thanks, Black. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this, though."

Black returned the Pokéball. "Sure, no problem. I guess I don't have to train you, then. I said I would, but seeing how you're already experienced and…" he looked at the 3 headed Brutal Pokémon in the ball. "… With _that_ thing, I'm sure I _can't_ train you."

White nodded. She carefully rose to her feet and gently kissed Black on the cheek. "I'm really glad you're okay, Black. But do be careful next time."

"I could say the same to you, Miss President," Black replied. "And thanks for saving me."

* * *

**And thus ends a chapter of bullsh*t. It's merely a thought of mine, that it would be interesting if White was actually a total badass. Probably not going to happen though, seeing how she was crying when that fiery pig of hers got smacked around.**

**I avoided using names of 3 particular Pokémon in this chapter. Care to guess what they are? Hint: all fully evolved.**

**Anyways, here's another base stat hilarity: Shuckle has more defenses than Registeel. Shuckle also has more defenses than Deoxys Defense Forme. And after one move, Shuckle gets more Attack than Deoxys Attack Forme. What.**

**In that regard, Deoxys Attack Forme has hell of a lot more attack power than Arceus (Deoxys capping at 504, Arceus at 372). Since Deoxys loves to change back and forth between its Formes, it's base stats in the manga are basically 50 HP, 180 Attack, 160 Defense, 180 Special Attack, 160 Special Defense, and 180 Speed, compared to Arceus's 120-all. So what'll happen when these two clash? We'll find out in Special A-**

**Next up: don't know yet. But not Ruby & Sapphire or Black & White.**


	22. Rescue

**MISC: Platinum's Language Usage. Since Platinum is supposed to talk very formally, she won't be using any contractions (can't, won't, etc) or any slang or expletives (except when she's pissed off, in which case she'll pick up Gold's language; example in The Marriage). This formality is the reason why she always refers to her seniors as 'senior' and always bows to them and whatnot.**

**Primary: Diamond & Platinum.**

* * *

Rescue:

Sandgem Town, Sinnoh…

Pearl and Diamond quickly walked towards the Berlitz Mansion.

"Hey Dia, did you see Miss Lady recently?" Pearl asked.

"No," Diamond replied. "We were supposed to go berry picking yesterday, but she never showed. I called but she never answered." He suddenly looked depressed. "Pearl, do you think-"

"No, Dia. I don't think she's avoiding you. Come on. She's our friend."

"I guess…"

"But hey, do you know why her father wants us?"

"I don't know. But it must be really important."

By the time the two Dex Holders arrived at the mansion, Sir Berlitz was waiting for them.

"Hello," Diamond started. "Wh-"

"There is no time!" Sir Berlitz said, almost yelling. "Come, quickly!" Before Diamond and Pearl could do anything, he turned and ran back inside the mansion.

Diamond and Pearl glanced at each other before quickly following. In one of the rooms, there was a big television, and Sebastian was waiting.

"As your orders, I did not inform anyone else about this," the butler said to Sir Berlitz.

"What's this about?" Pearl asked.

Sir Berlitz pointed at the television screen. Diamond and Pearl looked, and froze upon seeing what was being played. It was a recorded video message for a ransom…

In the screen, they could see Platinum tied up on a chair, looking rather beaten. One kidnapper appeared on screen and looked at the camera.

"You have 2 hours to deliver a sum of 50 billion PKD to the location on the letter that came with the video. And if you even _think_ about calling the police… I'll leave what's left of your daughter in front of your mansion." The kidnapper grabbed the heiress by her hair and yanked. Platinum groaned but refused to say anything. "Let's see what your daughter has to say about this." The kidnapper punched the heiress in the stomach and yanked her hair so the camera could see her face. "Come on, say "daddy, help me" or something like that."

"Ungh… father…" Platinum gasped out. "You must not give in, father! I will be a-"

The kidnapper smacked her across the face. "I warned you what would happen if you said that again!"

"Should I shut this thing off?" came a second voice.

"No. Fuck it. We're going to send him this video. Maybe seeing his daughter getting beaten will help him make a decision." The kidnapper smacked Platinum across the face once more.

"Agh! … F – Father! Please…" she gasped out. "Please… do not give in…"

Diamond felt each of Platinum's yelps and cries stab at his heart. He closed his eyes as the kidnapper became more aggressive in his attempts to shut her up. Sir Berlitz shut off the television.

"I am going to prepare the money for delivery," he started. "But I want you two to find and rescue my daughter before it is too late. I doubt that these vandals will release my daughter even if I give them the money."

Diamond and Pearl nodded.

'_I should've stayed with her…_' Diamond thought. '_I shouldn't have asked her to go berry picking with me. Maybe then she would've been safe…_'

"I think I know how we can find her," Pearl started. "But we'll need Pokémon that can Fly."

An hour later, Jubilife City…

Diamond and Pearl flew around the edge of the park, waiting for the kidnappers to pick up the briefcase containing the money, which was placed in the marked zone a minute ago. For this task, they borrowed a pair of Pidgeots from the Berlitz family. The plan was to wait for the kidnappers to take the money and then to follow the kidnappers to their hideout. Then, the two Dex Holders will be able to rescue Platinum.

Pearl squinted as he saw a man walk towards the bench with the briefcase. The man picked up the briefcase and started to walk away. Diamond and Pearl carefully eyed him. They could see that the kidnapper had entered a van, and from a safe altitude, followed.

3 hours later, the van stopped in front of a small building; a house, from the looks of it.

Diamond took a brief look around the area. He noticed that he was in Veilstone City. A minute after the kidnapper entered the building, the two Dex Holders landed. They left the two Pidgeots in the air to see if the kidnapper would escape.

"Okay, this is what we're going to do," Pearl started. "Dia, you're going to look for Miss Lady while I'll cover you. When you find her, call Maylene and let her know what happened. We could use some help."

Diamond nodded and tried to open the door. Seeing how it was locked, Pearl sent out his Infernape to silently melt the door. And to ensure that the house itself didn't catch on fire, he had his Buizel to put the fire out once the door was gone.

Diamond silently entered the house, with his Munchlax in front. The Munchlax remembered the scent of Platinum's perfume very well, and with that in mind, sniffed around. Within a minute, the Munchlax found the trail of the perfume. Diamond followed as his Munchlax led him towards a door. The Sinnoh boy put his ear against the door to see if he can hear anything. He heard nothing, so he assumed it was safe to open the door.

The room was bright enough for him to see everything inside. He could see someone tied up in the corner. Diamond squinted, and recognized the person as Platinum. He quickly ran towards her and began to untie the rope binding her arms and legs. The heiress seemed to be unconscious, and had been blindfolded and gagged. By the time he finished untying her arms and legs, Platinum woke up. She couldn't see, so she assumed the worst and tried to push him away. Diamond noticed that she was whimpering… She never did that before…

"Lady, it's me," he said quietly. Platinum instantly froze, and Diamond took the opportunity to remove the blindfold. "I came to rescue you." He could see the tears in the heiress's beautiful eyes and it made him freeze for a second. He soon snapped out and removed the gag.

The heiress remained perfectly silent for a whole 7 seconds before she snapped out of her shock. "… You found me…"

Diamond embraced her as she broke down into tears. "It's okay, Lady. You're safe now."

"They h – hurt me so much," the heiress sobbed out.

Diamond pulled back and looked at her. He could see that her pale skin was covered in bruises. When he looked at her clothes, his eyes opened wide in shock. The heiress's black vest was missing, and the dress underneath wasn't exactly intact either.

"D – Did they…" Diamond stuttered, unable to finish the question. He looked horrified.

Thankfully, Platinum shook her head. "B – But they tried…" She buried her face into his chest and cried some more. "I – It was terrible…"

Diamond put his arms around her and tried to calm her down. "It's over now. Come on. Let's get you out of here." He took off his vest and gave it to her to wear. Afterwards, he called Maylene and told her of the current situation, and asked for help.

"Hey, what the hell?" came a voice from behind. The heiress gasped and tried her best to hide behind Diamond. The Sinnoh boy turned around and saw one of the kidnappers. "Hey, we have an intruder!" he yelled out through the door.

The other kidnapper walked into the room, with his hands in the air. Behind him, Pearl had his Infernape out, ready to burn anything that tried to run.

"Yes, I noticed," the kidnapper grumbled.

The first kidnapper turned to face Diamond, only to realize that the Sinnoh boy had his Torterra out.

"Let me show you what happens if you move," he said. "Roo, Dia's Mach-One-And-Only Razor Leaf."

The kidnapper blinked. "Well, that's a long name… Where are the leaves?"

"Look behind you," Diamond said.

The kidnapper turned and saw a hole in the wall, where the single leaf had hit. "Oh… sh*t."

Pearl grinned and had his Infernape drag both kidnappers out of the house. Diamond returned his Pokémon and helped Platinum get to her feet. He noticed that the heiress was favoring her right knee, and looked unsteady. He supported her from beside and took extra care to make sure that she was comfortable.

"Thank you…" Platinum said quietly as she rested her head against Diamond's. "I trusted that you would come for me…"

As Diamond slowly headed towards the exit, a thought occurred and he ended up stopping abruptly.

"Diamond, what is the matter?" the heiress asked.

"Those two kidnappers," he muttered. "Neither of them are the one that I saw in the video…"

Suddenly, he felt someone yank Platinum off of him, and he spun around. He could see that the missing kidnapper had appeared and now had Platinum hostage.

"So you're the one who fucked everything up," the kidnapper growled out. He had an arm wrapped around Platinum's throat, and Diamond noticed that the heiress looked absolutely terrified. "Don't move."

Diamond did as told. Not only because the girl he loved was being held hostage, but also because he could see Maylene and her Riolu sneaking up from behind the kidnapper. The Veilstone Gym Leader arrived at the kidnappers' house (as Diamond described, "the house with Pidgeots circling around"), and she chose to climb through the windows in hopes of sneaking up on any kidnappers.

Within a blink of an eye, the kidnapper was knocked out from a Mach Punch, and Diamond rushed to catch Platinum before she hit the ground. The heiress started to cry again, as the shock from being held hostage was overwhelming. Diamond gently embraced her and rubbed her in the back to calm her down.

"It's okay, Lady. You're okay now. Maylene's here. We won't let those kidnappers harm you anymore," he assured.

"I – I wish I was home," the heiress sobbed out. "Please… please take me home…"

Diamond nodded and quickly led her out of the house. Platinum tried her best to calm down. Outside, Pearl ran up to his two friends, after handing the two captured kidnappers to the police.

"Miss Lady, you're okay!" he yelled.

Platinum wiped away her tears and clasped his hands but didn't give him a hug, which Diamond noticed.

"Thank you, Pearl," she said. Her voice was still shaking.

"Hey Pearl, the Lady wants to go home," Diamond said.

"Right. Dia, take her home. I'm going to go back inside that house and see if I can find her stuff and that money briefcase."

Diamond called one of the Pidgeots and climbed on top after helping the heiress get on. "Lady, please hold on tight."

Platinum nodded and wrapped her arms around Diamond. "I am ready."

Diamond got the Pidgeot to Fly back to Sandgem Town. But because he was afraid that Platinum would fall off, he got the Pidgeot to Fly slowly, so instead of taking an hour (full speed), the two Dex Holders arrived in front of the Berlitz Mansion in two hours.

Diamond quickly led Platinum back inside her mansion, where she reunited with her father. The Sinnoh boy explained to Sir Berlitz and Sebastian what happened and how he and Pearl managed to rescue Platinum. After the story, Sir Berlitz promised a very large feast for those who helped in rescuing his daughter, which Diamond told Pearl and Maylene via Pokégear.

One week later, Diamond came to the mansion to visit Platinum. He was led by the servants of the Berlitz Mansion to Platinum's reading room. Upon arriving, he knocked on the door. The door opened a few seconds later, and Platinum appeared in the doorway.

"Ah, Diamond!" she exclaimed happily. "I am glad you came. Please, come in."

"Thanks, Lady," Diamond said as he entered the room. He noticed that the bruises that covered Platinum's pale skin have healed. But not all injuries have healed, however… "Lady, would you like to go berry picking today?" Diamond asked.

Platinum suddenly appeared nervous. "Berry picking? … Outside? … Um… I… I appreciate the offer, Diamond, but…"

Diamond nodded. He understood that the heiress would prefer to stay in the safety of her mansion. The kidnapping had been a terrifying experience for her, and seeing how she was attacked on her way from her mansion to where she was supposed to meet Diamond, it was natural that the heiress would be afraid of the outside world.

"I understand if you don't want to leave your mansion, Lady. In that case… would you mind if I stayed with you?"

Platinum appeared surprised, but smiled brightly and nodded. "Of course, Diamond. I would highly appreciate your company."

She led him towards the couch and sat there with him. She slightly leaned against him and began to talk about her experiences this week. As she talked, Diamond noticed that she looked extremely happy. He gently grabbed and rubbed her hand. Although the heiress may be afraid of the outside world, for now, he would remain happy that she was perfectly safe and happy. Diamond took it upon himself to help her overcome her fears when the time came. But for the time being, he would focus on ensuring that Platinum felt safe and protected. Besides, spending just about the entire day with her in the mansion wasn't bad either.

* * *

**I've noticed that the most recent chapter of Special Adventures AND this one-shot both kind of… bully Platinum. Oh well… someone had to be broken. The others will get their unfortunate share of misfortune in Special Adventures when the time comes.**


	23. Capturing Dinner

**The following one-shot was a piece cut out of Special Adventures. In SA, Platinum asked Crystal whether she can teach her how to catch stuff. Before the Hoenn trio arrived, I was going to have Crystal (and Gold) teach Platinum how to catch Pokémon, but… I cut that part out in an effort to quicken the pace. And, seeing how the cut out piece matches with a request, it has come back in Special Events. Modified, of course.**

**Primary: Gold & Crystal.**

* * *

Capturing Dinner:

Route 1, Kanto…

Crystal nervously stood in front of the other 12 Dex Holders, not sure how to proceed. Platinum had asked her to teach her (and the other two Sinnoh Dex Holders) how to catch Pokémon. Then Professor Oak suggested that _all of the others_ join in on the lessons as well. As a result, Crystal had to teach her seniors how to catch Pokémon when she had no doubt that they were perfectly fine on their own.

With a nervous gulp, the Johto girl taped targets onto trees. She was going to test the aim of every Dex Holder and maybe she'll get ideas on how to proceed from there.

First up, Red gave a decent throw which hit the target dead on. Green simply tossed the Pokéball backwards at a target and also hit it right in the middle. Blue did the same as Red. Crystal groaned. As expected, the three Kanto Dex Holders needed no assistance. They all looked bored… When Yellow gave a throw, Crystal noticed that she had missed the target.

'_Good… Now I can at least help with __**something**__,_' the Johto girl thought to herself. Then again, Yellow never really cared about Pokémon capturing to begin with. Crystal imagined that Yellow would just befriend a Pokémon she wanted to the point where the Pokémon willingly captured itself.

Next, Gold gave a Pokéball a throw. He hit the target, but near the edge.

"Well… I'm still a little rusty on the throwing department," he said.

He pulled out his billiard cue, and with another Pokéball, took aim. He glanced around, looking for potential ricochet points. Being the show-off, he didn't aim at the target. He aimed at another tree farther away and took the shot. The ball shot towards the tree, bounced off a thick branch, bounced off another branch, and hit the roots of another tree. The ball then hit a rock before hitting the target in the center.

Platinum and a few of the other Dex Holders clapped at the feat. Gold grinned and bowed to them like the showman that he was. Crystal shook her head.

Next, Silver gave a boring yet time-efficient throw at the target. Having hit the center, he turned away to let the others take a shot. Ruby gave a careless toss. Sapphire pitched a Pokéball with all her strength, cracking the target tree in the process.

"… Don't throw too hard," Crystal said. "I mean… you don't want to throw that hard when you're trying to catch a Pokémon, do you?"

Sapphire rubbed the back of her neck with a laugh. "Oops… well… I guess not."

Next, Emerald gave the Pokéball a kick, just like he learned from Crystal. The ball hit the target in the center, but his Platform Shoe came off during the kick.

"Ah, stupid-ass things!" he yelled as he tracked the object flying through the air. Gold and Sapphire laughed from behind and Crystal smiled. "Freaking shoe store guy…" He stretched his Magic Hand Extensors to maximum length and hopped towards the Platform Shoe.

Next up, the Sinnoh trio gave their tries. Crystal noted that the three needed the most help. Platinum's throw lacked power, Pearl's lacked accuracy, and Diamond's lacked both. The heiress looked at her senior with an ashamed look at having barely hit the target.

"Don't feel too bad," Crystal said. "Um… try different methods of capturing," she suggested after a moment of thought. She received confused looks from her juniors. "What I mean is… … Ah, I'll just show you."

Crystal tossed a Pokéball into the air and delivered a jumping kick, sending the Pokéball flying towards the target. The Sinnoh trio clapped and marveled at the shot. Crystal approached the non-Sinnoh Dex Holders.

"Why don't you all practice hitting multiple targets? Sometimes, you're in a situation where you have to catch a lot more than one Pokémon at a time," she suggested. She pointed at a roughly circular opening in the forest, where the surrounding trees had targets taped onto them.

The non-Sinnoh Dex Holders shrugged and went over to the circular clearing. The Kanto Dex Holders decided to help the Hoenn Dex Holders better control the ultimate moves instead of 'practicing' Pokémon capture.

Crystal then went over to the Sinnoh Dex Holders so that she could teach them how to properly throw/kick Pokéballs into targets.

A few minutes later, Gold left the target-circle and watched Crystal from behind, wondering when the whole teaching stuff was going to end. He watched with amusement as Pearl attempted a Pokéball kick and ended up kicking the ball into Crystal's face.

Bored again, the goggled boy sat down on the grass and tried to balance a Pokéball on the tip of his billiard cue. A few minutes later, Crystal began teaching the Sinnoh trio about catching multiple Pokémon at a time. As a demonstration, she placed around 10 Pokéballs in a circle around her and with a low sweep, kicked all of them into targets set up around.

Gold wondered how many Pokéballs Crystal could kick in a circle like that. His pondering was cut short as he watched as Platinum attempted to do that maneuver. Unfortunately for him, he was a little too far away for a good view. Had he been closer, he could've seen her (around her skirt, to be a little more specific) a little better. Then again, if he was close enough, Crystal would've kicked his ass for trying to enjoy the view. With a sigh, Gold resumed his focus on trying to balance a Pokéball on the tip of his billiard cue.

After half an hour, Crystal sat beside him. She told the Sinnoh trio to go and practice so that she could rest a little.

"Bored, huh?" she asked the goggled boy after a sigh.

"Yep. Along with all the others," Gold replied. "Right now, our seniors are trying to help the Hoenn guys to properly control the ultimate moves."

"Well… at least that's a little more exciting than this," Crystal muttered.

"Hey Crys, do you want to bet on something? You know, help pass the time," Gold suggested.

Crystal looked at him. "Bet on what, and what kind of bet?" she asked.

Gold thought for a few seconds. "How about… how long we can keep a Pokéball off the ground without using our hands. You know, keep it bouncing in the air."

"Why bother? You know I'm going to win," Crystal said with a smile.

Gold's eye twitched. "… Yeah. If you win, I'll buy you dinner. If I win, then _you_ buy me dinner. How's that?"

"That sounds like something Blue would say to Green," Crystal said.

"Well… it's a little different," Gold said. "I mean, most of the time, all bets made between them are buying senior Blue dinner vs. leaving senior Green alone."

"I guess that's different. So you're basically trying to ask me on a dinner date," Crystal said.

"More or less," Gold replied. "Well?"

Crystal smirked. "If that's how you intend on getting girls to go out with you, then you might need lessons. I mean, how many girls would fall for the 'let's make a dinner-bet because we're bored' line?"

Gold grinned. "Let's find out, Crys." He took out his Pokégear and pretended to cycle through a bunch of numbers. "If you don't want to take the offer, then I'll just have to find someone else…" As expected, Crystal seemed to be on alert now. "Let's see… nah, this one's ugly compared to the others… this one's too dumb… this one's too damn freaky…" Gold pretended to search through a massive list. "Ah, here we go. The prettiest of them all!"

Crystal snatched the Pokégear away from him. "Alright, fine! I'll take the offer!"

"I thought you would. You should take my offers as soon as you can, Crys," Gold said with a grin. "After all, I know over 50 girls in New Bark Town alone who would just _die_ for a chance to have dinner with me."

Crystal scowled at him as she tossed the Pokégear into the goggled boy's face. "But what guarantees do I have that you won't run away and leave me to pay for everything?"

"Assuming you win? Well… come on, Crys. When did I ever do that?"

"Last week, maybe?" Crystal said, crossing her arms. "Going to the washroom, huh?" Gold rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. "And a few weeks before that. You conveniently _forgot_ your wallet…"

"I… uh…"

"What guarantee do I have that you won't be dragged away by a _friend_ of yours and make me pay for everything?"

"Okay, fine. If I ditch you and make you pay for the dinner again, then you can kick me as hard as you can the next time you see me," Gold said. "But… not down there."

"And how do I know that you won't leave the region?"

"Look, Crys, I only ditched you five times," Gold said with a frustrated sigh. "And we had dinner dates around 20 times now. Can't you trust me?"

Crystal sighed. "Sorry, Gold. I guess I should trust you this time." She took the Pokéball that was resting on the tip of Gold's billiard cue and tossed it into the air. "Keeping the ball bouncing without it touching the ground, huh?"

Gold tried first. With his billiard cue, he kept the Pokéball in the air for some 10 seconds before he purposely let the ball hit the ground. Crystal received the Pokéball next, and kicked it into the air. She wondered why Gold purposely let it hit the ground. Perhaps he just wanted to buy her dinner? Or could it be that he was planning on ditching her again?

7 seconds later, as Crystal tracked the descending Pokéball, Platinum's excited shout disrupted her focus. The Johto girl glanced back to see what the commotion was about (the heiress had successfully kicked 4 Pokéballs into 4 targets in a circle around her), and in the split-second it took her to remember the ongoing bet, the ball hit the ground.

"Well, that's that, then," Gold said from beside. "You're going to buy me dinner today. I was really going to buy you dinner, but seeing how you lost the bet…"

To his surprise, Crystal smiled. "A loss is a loss. It's 4 pm right now, so I'll see you in front of my house in 3 hours, alright? I'm just going to finish helping the Sinnoh trio before I go home and get ready."

Gold found it odd that Crystal wasn't upset at all. He found it very odd that she was _cheerful_ about it. He suspected something, but quickly dismissed the thought. Crystal _never_ tricked anyone, ever.

3 hours later, Violet City…

Gold waited outside Crystal's house, wondering how he could take advantage of the current situation. Since the Johto girl was going to buy him dinner, perhaps he would order a lot of food. Or simply go to a really expensive restaurant…

But to his surprise, when Crystal came out a few minutes later, she took him to the most expensive restaurant in the city. Thinking that she was basically digging her own grave, Gold ordered as much as he could… 6 courses. Crystal too, ordered two separate courses.

Crystal calculated the cost of the dinner in her head. She estimated that the dinner would cost around 40 000 PKD. She tried her best to keep a straight face as she ate. She didn't want Gold to suspect her of anything…

An hour later, when Gold finished eating (Crystal finished half an hour ago), Crystal made her move. While trying to move the empty dishes into a stack (so the waiters could move them easily), she 'accidentally' hit her cup and poured water on herself.

"Oh, darn," she muttered. "I'll be right back, Gold. Don't go anywhere," she said as she rose to go to the washroom.

Crystal quickly headed towards the washroom, and when Gold wasn't looking, headed to the exit instead. The cashier saw her trying to leave, and seeing Gold still sitting at the table, naturally assumed that he would be paying and let her leave.

Upon exiting the restaurant, Crystal sat on a nearby bench and waited. Around 20 minutes later, she heard exactly what she wanted to hear: Gold screaming from the restaurant.

"OH, THAT'S JUST CHILDISH, SUPER SERIOUS GAL!"

Crystal started to laugh as she slowly walked back home. "Sorry, Gold. But you know what they say about payback…"

* * *

**Added after SE #024: The Set Up II…**

* * *

What Could Have Been:

Gold pretended to search through a massive list, and soon found Crystal's number. "Ah, here we go. The prettiest of them all!"

Crystal snatched the Pokégear away from him, as she didn't know who the goggled boy was referring to. But while she snatched the Pokégear, Gold had accidentally hit the 'call' button.

'_Oops… uh oh…_' Gold thought, realizing what was going to happen. '_This is going to be very awkward…_'

"Alright, fine! I'll take the offer!" Crystal yelled. To her surprise, her Pokégear started to ring. Confused, she reached into her bag and found her Pokégear, and noticed that it was Gold who was calling her. Then everything fell into place. "… You were referring to me?" she asked.

"Well… uh…"

Crystal started to laugh. "Wow… just wow. I never thought you would say _that_! Isn't that a little too… mushy for you?"

"… Shut up…" Gold grumbled out. He desperately thought of a way out. "It was an accident, okay? I wasn't trying to call you, I was trying to find someone else, and… I probably shouldn't have said that…" he finished as he noticed the deadly glare Crystal was giving him.

The Johto girl scowled at him and tossed the Pokégear into his face. "I'll ignore that part," she said through clenched teeth. She took a deep breath and tried to change the topic. "Anyways, what guarantees do I have that you won't run away and leave me to pay for everything?"


	24. The Set Up II

**MISC: well, not necessarily a MISC, but… yeah. 'MISC': What Could Have Been. From this point on, both SA and SE will feature things called "What Could Have Been" which simply lists a moment in a chapter where the original plans were different. These moments are not related to each other, and exist solely for the purpose of showing the good scenes/moments that didn't make it into an actual chapter due to various reasons. The "What Could Have Been" will take place after a chapter, below the note/whatever crap I say in the bottom. The first example is below.**

**Primary: Ruby & Sapphire.**

* * *

The Set Up II:

New Bark Town, Johto…

Gold examined the pool table while Ruby prepared to take a shot. Behind the ex-Johto boy was Sapphire, who watched with interest. Gold leaned against his indestructible billiard cue and wondered why exactly the bickering couple from Hoenn had decided to randomly invade his house.

Ruby took a shot, but didn't hit the cue ball in the center, and could only groan as he watched the ball went off the intended course and fell pointlessly into the hole.

"Ruby, you suck!" Sapphire yelled from behind.

"Hey, it's my first time!" Ruby yelled back.

Gold groaned as the two Hoenn Dex Holders started to bicker once more. '_What the hell did I do to deserve this?_' he wondered as he contemplated on knocking out both Hoenn Dex Holders with his billiard cue.

The goggled boy sighed and after placing the cue ball, prepared to take his own shot. He noticed that one carefully placed shot would allow him to win the game without surrendering a single point to Ruby. Gold reasoned that the faster he beat Ruby in the game, the faster he'd leave.

"ALRIGHT, HERE WE ARE!" came a really loud voice from the outside.

Gold jumped in surprise and accidentally hit the cue ball in the process. He watched with horror as his shot completely missed and fell pointlessly in the hole in the corner.

"Ah, f- (outside voice: "SET UP!")!" Gold yelled. "Why the f- (outside voice: "NOW!") does all this f- (outside voice: "CAMERAS!") s- (outside voice: "OVER THERE!") happen to me?"

"Hey, Sapphire, it's that director!" Ruby said excitedly. "He's finally here!"

"It's about time!" Sapphire said as she ran towards the windows to see. The two Hoenn Dex Holders looked through the windows for a second before looking at each other. "Ruby, I think it's time you tell Gold why we came."

Ruby nodded and turned to look at Gold, who was contemplating on calling Crystal. Maybe the whole situation would be a little less miserable if Crystal was there to suffer with him… Noticing that the Hoenn Dex Holders were looking at him, the goggled boy snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Ruby.

"What?"

"Well, it's time I told you why Sapphire and I came here."

Gold listened as Ruby described his involvement with the movie that was being filmed outside.

"So… we came here, thinking that you could help us in ruining that movie set," Ruby said, finishing his story. "I'd like my revenge."

Gold grinned. "Well, you came to the right place, then." He pointed upstairs with his billiard cue. "Come with me, and we'll discuss on what to do."

Ruby and Sapphire followed their senior as he led them to his bedroom. Gold opened the windows and looked out. He could see the movie production crew roughly 100 meters away from his house.

"Well, the first thing I'm going to do is…" Gold said, as he began to look around his room. Eventually, he found what he was looking for: a black box (size of a briefcase) with big orange letters that said "Li'l Bastard General Mischief Kit".

Ruby and Sapphire exchanged looks. "They… actually make those?" they both muttered at the same time.

"I've had this box since I was 6," Gold said with a smile. "Lots of fond memories…" He opened the box and withdrew a slingshot and something that looked like a black paintball. "Now, observe," he said to his juniors.

The goggled boy approached the window and looked closely at the film crew with binoculars. Sapphire simply looked on and Ruby squinted, trying to get a good view. After examining the target, Gold passed the binoculars to Ruby, and with the slingshot and the black 'paintball', took aim.

The part of the movie that was being filmed at the moment happened to be a romance scene, with the lead actor and actress about to kiss. Naturally, Gold's target would be the lead actor. With a grin, he aimed… directly at the lead actor's ass. The black 'paintball', being a stink bomb, exploded upon impact, leaving a big patch of black stuff on the lead actor's pants and releasing a cloud of horribly fowl smelling gas. Since none of the movie crew had any idea what actually happened, it was pretty obvious what they were thinking.

"OH, THE STENCH!" the lead actress screamed before falling backwards like a tree.

"That is not a stench a human being is capable of producing!" the director yelled through the megaphone. "What is wrong with you?"

"It wasn't me!" the main actor yelled.

Back in Gold's house, the three Dex Holders were busy trying not to die from laughing too hard. Ruby barely managed to climb back to his feet and looked through the binoculars. Several cameramen and staff members were lying on the ground, with twisted faces from the fowl stench. The lead actor was busy trying to hide the massive black stain on his pants…

"You even sh*t your pants!" came the director's voice, causing the three Dex Holders to laugh even harder. "Get out of here!"

Sapphire wiped away a tear as she desperately tried to calm down. But she couldn't help it and ended up bursting into laughter once more.

"Oh, that is just classic," Ruby muttered as he tried to calm down.

Sapphire tried to calm down once more. She took the slingshot and another stink bomb from the "Li'l Bastard General Mischief Kit" and looked out through the window.

"Hey, is this thing toxic?" she asked Gold.

Gold looked at the back of the "Li'l Bastard General Mischief Kit" where all the warning signs were. The only thing the warning sign said about the stink bombs being toxic or not was:

"The stink bombs are non-toxic. However, eating or swallowing the stink bombs is _highly_ not recommended."

"No," Gold replied. "You won't die from eating one of those, apparently."

"Oh, very good then." Sapphire looked at where the filming crew was and fired the stink bomb.

The stink bomb flew straight towards the film crew and… hit right beside the director's mouth. The three Dex Holders burst into laughter once more when the director announced his misery through the megaphone.

"That's it! Abandon movie!" the director roared through the megaphone. "Let's get out of here!"

Gold quickly scanned the area around the film crew and spotted the van in which the equipment was stored. Beside that van was a bus in which the film personnel rode. Gold took the slingshot from Sapphire and with 5 stink bombs (two left in the "Li'l Bastard General Mischief Kit") and bombarded the bus. 3 made it through the open windows of the bus. One hit the driver's seat and the remaining one hit the door.

"Enjoy the trip back!" Ruby yelled. He knew that the movie staff wasn't going to hear him, but felt like yelling out anyways. "Ah, sweet, sweet revenge…"

"So you got what you came for," Gold said. "Now what are you going to do?"

"Well… I guess we can travel around Johto a little," Sapphire said as she looked at Ruby. "Do a little sightseeing."

Ruby thought for a second. "Sure, why not. We came all this way from Hoenn after all. We can't leave just yet."

"Good, good. Then out you go," Gold said from behind.

Ruby and Sapphire looked at Gold, wondering why he was so eager in kicking them out. Just then, the door opened and Crystal appeared with her Xatu right behind.

"Gold, Tupeon and I just saw a movie staff hurriedly running away on our way here," the Johto girl said as she returned her Pokémon. "You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?"

"No… of course not," Gold said slowly. He carefully reached behind him for the "Li'l Bastard General Mischief Kit" and tried to hide it from view. But Crystal saw the box before Gold could hide it.

"Hey, what the…" she started. "Gold! So that _mischief kit_ came from you! I was wondering where Emerald got such a thing! And it _was_ you! You chased away the movie crew!" Crystal yelled angrily. "And you even dragged Ruby and Sapphire into this mess! What's wrong with you?"

"What? No! They're the ones who-" Gold tried to explain, but Ruby and Sapphire interrupted him.

"It was all him! We tried to stop him but he threatened us!" Sapphire said as she dropped to her knees in front of Crystal. "It was horrible! He shot a stink bomb at that poor man's face!"

"He shot stink bombs everywhere! I wouldn't be surprised if the movie staff fainted from all that stench!" Ruby added as he helped Sapphire back up to her feet.

A vein bulged from Gold's forehead. "Why you dirty, backstabbing, treacherous, betraying, untrustworthy-"

"I knew it! Gold, how many times did I tell you to set a good example for our juniors?" Crystal yelled.

"Let's get out of here," Ruby whispered to Sapphire. The Hoenn girl nodded and the two quickly ran away while Crystal scolded Gold.

From outside the house, Ruby and Sapphire looked up towards Gold's bedroom and spotted the goggled boy leaning out of the window, still spewing insults and synonyms of same words.

"-unfaithful, disloyal, deceitful, double-crossing, lying, perfidious, shifty, underhanded, dishonest, immoral, fraudulent ass-"

"Gold! Get back here!" came Crystal's voice, interrupting the goggled boy once more.

Ruby and Sapphire smiled at each other before they slowly walked away. The next encounter with the goggled boy wasn't going to be fun, but… oh well.

"So our seniors were right," Sapphire said with a satisfied sigh. "We are a perfect combination."

"Well, I must say," Ruby said. "Framing Gold for all that was brilliant." He put a hand on Sapphire's shoulder. "Though I think my acting was better than yours. After all, I did receive some acting lessons while I was involved with that movie."

Sapphire called for her Tropius and hopped on when the Fruit Pokémon appeared a minute later.

"Hop on," she said to Ruby. "Well, Ruby. You used to live in Johto. Where should we go?"

"Let's go to Goldenrod City. There are lots of stuff to do there, and it's my old home. We'll eat lunch there," Ruby replied as he climbed on. "Of course, I'm buying. And maybe I can get you a nice new set of clothes from the Goldenrod Department Store."

Sapphire smiled. "Well… okay, I guess. Let's go then!"

* * *

**A short little Ruby & Sapphire one-shot.**

**What Gold says without censors: "Ah fudge! Why the fruit does all this funny stuff happen to me?" It's the result of Crystal constantly hitting him whenever he swore.**

**Below is the very first What Could Have Been… technically the first.**

* * *

What Could Have Been:

Gold, Ruby and Sapphire stood in the open around 100 meters away from the filming stage. In order to disrupt the movie's production yet appear innocent, the three Dex Holders were going to have a battle.

Sapphire watched as Ruby and Gold battled. Gold, being the one who could see the movie staff, was on offense.

"Now, Explotaro, Flamethrower!" he yelled.

The Typhlosion did as ordered a whole second later, giving Ruby and his Swampert ample time to get out of the way. Naturally, the Flamethrower missed the target and barely missed the movie staff 100 meters away. During the battle, Ruby and Gold switched positions.

"Zuzu, Muddy Water!" Ruby yelled. The Swampert did the same as Typhlosion and waited until Gold and the Volcano Pokémon moved out of the way before using the attack. Gold and Ruby switched positions once more.

Sapphire grinned and joined in on the battle. She sent out her Blaziken and with Gold, ordered a Blast Burn. Ruby and Swampert moved out of the way and the two Fire type starters used their ultimate attacks…

"ABANDON MOVIE SET!" the director roared through the megaphone as he saw two massive streams of fire heading towards him and the movie set…

* * *

**And so ends the first What Could Have Been (WCHB). Currently, several of the past SE chapters have been updated with WCHBs. So far, they are SE #004: Nightmare, SE #011: Playing the Game, SE #015: Revival, SE #018: Rampage, and SE #023: Capturing Dinner. I would highly appreciate it if you would review whether you like the actual chapters or the WCHBs.**

**Also, apart from SA #002: Reveille, all the chapters of SA have been updated with WCHBs. I'd highly appreciate it again if you'd leave a review for those WCHBs as well.**


	25. First Date

**What does it say at the top of SE #007: Something Special? In short, it says: "No Red & Yellow because one's oblivious and the other is nervous" and "No Black & White because the arc hasn't progressed far enough (basically)". Yet all these reviews/requests demanding a Red & Yellow…**

**So here it is! The first Red & Yellow! … Damn, I feel spineless… But this is the result of all your whining… Your whines have been… er… accepted? Granted? Ah, things along that line.**

**I am now overriding that thing on the top of SE #007: Something Special. Black & White will pop up every now and then, and for Red & Yellow… well, let's just say that it **_**could**_** come up again… depending on how this one goes.**

**Primary: Red & Yellow.**

* * *

First Date:

Red was sitting underneath a tree in front of his house, dozing off in the warm weather.

"Congratulations, senior!" came a sweet voice.

Red snapped awake and looked up. He could see Platinum looking at him with a bright smile.

"Huh?"

"I have heard that you have a date with senior Yellow tomorrow."

"Oh. Thanks."

"Senior Yellow has been waiting for this moment for many years, senior," Platinum said. "I am sure that she is very nervous."

"Yeah… Where do you think I should take her?" Red asked. "Because I have no idea what to do in a date."

Platinum giggled. "I am sure that senior Yellow will be happy regardless of where you take her." She placed a hand on her chin as she thought. "Um… … Diamond mostly takes me to his home to cook me dinner."

Red thought for a second. "Well, I can't cook, so…"

"Perhaps you should buy her dinner and watch the sunset near a beach?" Platinum offered. "For the past two years, I have looked forward to the day when Diamond would make that offer to me…" She looked a little sad, so Red thought of a comforting phrase in his head when the heiress suddenly beamed. "But Diamond promised to take me on that date when I return home! I cannot wait!"

Red looked confused for a second. "… Well… what's his plan? Maybe I could get an idea for my date with Yellow."

"Um… okay, then. But you must not tell senior Yellow about this. I do not want her to get the wrong idea."

"Of course."

"Diamond told me of his plan, and I am really excited. First, he is going to take me to the beach south of Sandgem Town for a walk along the cliff. We will be able to see the sunset and it is going to be beautiful!" Platinum squealed out. "And then we will eat dinner, and then he is going to take me to Lake Verity to see the stars and the moon in the perfect calm! Oh, I just cannot wait!" the heiress squealed out again. Realizing how… childish she sounded, she blushed in embarrassment and tried to calm down.

A thought occurred and Red looked confused again. "Hey, if Dia promised you your perfect date, then… why are you here in Kanto?"

"Well… um… Since last week, the president of the television company in Sinnoh had been inviting me for dinner," Platinum started nervously. "I agreed once, and there, he introduced me to his son, who is the heir to the company. The president suggested that I should be friends with him, but I do not like him at all. It was pretty obvious why the president kept inviting me to dinner. And to avoid refusing the offer without a reason, I told him that I would be in Kanto to stay with my seniors."

"Hmm… it sounds to me that this president guy wants you to be his son's girlfriend," Red said.

"Yes. It is quite… creepy."

"What are you going to do if that guy invites you again the moment you get back home?"

"My father will tell him that I am on a date, and perhaps the president and his son will stay away from me." Platinum shook away the bad feelings and forced herself to smile. "But I digressed. Senior, where do you intend on taking senior Yellow?"

"Well… I guess Mt. Moon Square. It's calm there, and it has a lake… do you think she'll like it?"

"Of course, senior."

"Hey, when are you going to leave for Sinnoh?" Red asked.

"The ship leaves for Canalave City at 3:30 pm," Platinum replied. "As such, I cannot stay long. I must take the bus to Vermillion City within 30 minutes.

Red checked his watch. It was noon. "Hey, why don't we get something to eat? And afterwards, I can just Fly you to Vermillion City. It'll only take 30 minutes that way."

"I highly appreciate the offer, senior, but I do not wish to be a burden," Platinum said. "After all, your Aerodactyl is used to carrying one person."

"Well… you can't ride Aero on its neck. That's why it carries me whenever I need to Fly. But if I carry you, and Aero carries me, I don't see a problem."

"But…"

"Don't worry. I carried Blue a few times before, and she's probably much heavier than you," Red said with a laugh. He suddenly took a nervous glance around. "… Don't tell her that I said that. She might… uh… murder me."

Platinum giggled. "I understand senior."

"Well, come on then. I know the best restaurant in Pallet Town."

The heiress gave a gracious bow. "Thank you very much, senior."

Meanwhile, Crystal's house in Violet City, Johto…

"So, Red and Yellow are finally dating," Blue said before taking a sip of tea.

"Really?" Crystal said in surprise. "Wow. It's about time, I guess. Where is he taking her?"

"I don't know. He told me that he has no ideas. I wanted to suggest something, but I'm not sure either," Blue said with a sigh. She looked at Crystal and Gold (who was sitting silently with a blank look on his face). "That's why I came here. Believe it or not, you two have more experience with this kind of thing than I do."

Crystal shook her head. "I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult…" With a sip of her tea, she tried to think of an idea. But none came up that would be suitable for Red and Yellow. She turned to look at Gold. "Any ideas, Gold?"

The goggled boy didn't reply, as he was still lost in deep thought. '_Those betraying Hoenn punks! I'll get them… I'll get them good!_'

Blue took another sip and suddenly narrowed her eyes. "Now you two, remember this. I spent a _long_ time trying to get Red to take Yellow out on a date. If you interfere or mess this up…"

"I don't know why you're threatening _me_," Crystal said. "I'm not going to interrupt anything."

"I know. I'm telling you to keep an eye on Gold."

Gold snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his senior. "Relax. I have better things to do than interrupt some date." The goggled boy rose to his feet. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some… uh… payback to administer." He looked at Blue. "Senior Blue… do you know where that bickering couple is?"

"Ruby and Sapphire? I think I saw them trying the Apricorn picking in Route 31," the Kanto girl replied without much thought.

"Thank you," Gold said calmly. "I will return shortly with a screaming Sapphire, and a crying Ruby. Or the other way around."

Blue watched Gold calmly exit the house. She turned to Crystal with a confused look. "What's wrong with him?"

The Johto girl sighed. "You don't want to know…"

An hour later, there was some furious knocking on the door. Crystal opened the door and Ruby and Sapphire hastily entered.

"Crystal, you have to stop Gold!" Sapphire said while trying to catch her breath. "He's gone mad! He's still blaming us for the whole movie crew incident, and he's trying to force us to interfere with Red's date with Yellow!"

"What? That's crazy!" Crystal said.

"He's threatening to shoot stink bombs down our throats if we don't listen! He's chasing us right now!" Ruby said.

Just then, as if proving Ruby's accusations to be true, Gold's voice came from the outside.

"Get your asses out here, or I'm going to shove down so many stink bombs down your lying throats, that you'll taste them even after death!"

The door burst open once more and Gold appeared, fully extended billiard cue in one hand, five stink bombs in the other. Ruby and Sapphire hid behind Crystal, while the Johto girl put her hands on her hips and glared at the goggled boy.

Gold sighed. "Oh, that is just not fair…"

Vermillion City harbor, 3:00 pm…

Red released himself from his Aerodactyl's grip and landed on the ground. He was still carrying Platinum in his arms, and as expected, she was very light and easy to carry. The heiress was still blushing with embarrassment.

"Um… thank you very much for the… ride and lunch, senior Red," she said as she got off of her senior's arms.

"No problem." Red looked at the ship docked in the harbor. "You should get on, Platinum. People are starting to board."

"Of course, senior. Good luck with your date," Platinum said.

"Thanks. Thanks for the advice too. I guess I'll let you know how the date turns out."

"Do let me know, senior. And do tell me if you require my assistance. I will be glad to help."

"Alright. I'll see you the next time you come to Kanto, or the next time I go to Sinnoh."

"Good bye, senior. I wish to see you again soon."

Platinum bowed to her senior and after giving him a cute smile, quickly boarded the ship. Red looked at her for a second before he got his Aerodactyl to carry him again.

"Alright… now to go home and think about what I'll have to do tomorrow…"

Next day, 5 pm…

Red simply sat on a chair and looked into a mirror while Blue fixed his tie and straightened his suit. The champion intended to pick up Yellow in his regular clothes, but Blue (who had been waiting outside his house) stopped him and forced him back inside.

"Blue, why exactly do I need a suit when I'm going to take her to Mt. Moon Square?" Red asked.

"Because you need to look nice for your first date!" Blue said in a frustrated tone. "Yellow's been waiting for this moment for years, and you are _not_ going to go to her in your everyday clothes!"

"Uh… are you okay?" Red asked. "You seem… uh… irritated today."

"Yeah, I'm _fine_," Blue said quite angrily as she tightened Red's tie. "Why do you ask?"

"Because… you're… choking me…"

Blue noticed that she tightened the tie too much and quickly loosened it. "… Sorry, Red. It's just that… in my first date with Green, he came to pick me up in the same clothes I saw him wearing for the past week. And now, seeing you making the exactly the same mistake… I just got reminded of that day…"

Red adjusted the tie and took a deep breath. "Yeah, well… I'm not making that mistake now, am I? No need to choke me here."

"I know," Blue said with a sigh. She looked at Red from head to toe. "Alright. You're ready. Now I'll tell you some of the things you should do, and some things you should never do on a date."

"Such as?"

"Never let the girl pay for the dinner. Meaning, always pay for the dinner. Second, you're trying to make the _girl_ happy. You will do what Yellow wants, even if it's something that you don't like. And don't ever, _ever_ pull a prank on the girl. Those are the mistakes I've seen and heard Green and Gold do. Don't make the same mistakes."

Red looked at her silently. "Thanks. I'll be… uh… on my way then."

The champion then headed out of his house, Blue following. Red's Aerodactyl carried its trainer to the Viridian Forest. Blue looked at him for a second before she got onto her Wigglytuff. She felt a little… angry… and she was going to find Green (who was in Hoenn at the moment) and give him hell. He'd never see it coming…

Meanwhile, Yellow paced back and forth in front of the door to her house, waiting for Red to arrive. Blue had called an hour ago and told her to wear her best dress for the date. Having no dresses whatsoever, Yellow had no choice but to stay in her regular attire, and hoped that Red wouldn't arrive in a fancy suit.

But unfortunately, when someone knocked on the door and Yellow hastily opened, she could see Red in that fancy suit, looking _very_ awkward. The two Kanto Dex Holders simply looked at each other, noticing the unexpected difference in each other's clothes.

"Uh… hi, Yellow…" Red said with a nervous smile.

"Um… hi, Red…" Yellow said, also with a nervous smile. "N – Nice suit…"

Red rubbed the back of his neck. '_Now… what was I supposed to do? … Oh, right…_' "Uh… let's go eat dinner, then."

Red was going to take Yellow to a restaurant in Viridian City, but changed his mind to Pewter. And to get there quickly, he lifted Yellow onto his arms, and got his Aerodactyl to drop him off at the city.

Upon arriving at the city, Yellow quickly got off of Red's arms and looked away. She couldn't make eye-contact with him, as she was blushing too much. Not knowing what to say in this kind of situation, Red simply led her towards the restaurant where they would eat dinner. But just as he was about to open the door, he remembered something.

'_Oh, crap! I forgot my wallet thanks to Blue!_' Red opened the door for Yellow, and the moment she entered the restaurant, he sent out his Aerodactyl, Pikachu, and Espeon. "You three, get over to my house and get me my wallet as soon as possible!" he whispered to them. He quickly entered the restaurant afterwards to avoid suspicion.

Luckily, the dinner ended in an hour, and by that time, Red's Pokémon were back with the wallet. How the three Pokémon got into his house when he forgot to give them the keys, he'll never find out.

After dinner, Red took Yellow to Mt. Moon Square as promised. There weren't going to be any dancing Clefairies tonight, but… oh well. It took around 3 hours to get from Pewter City to Mt. Moon, and in that time, the two Dex Holders talked about what they were doing for the past week. But mostly, it was just Yellow stammering and Red listening (because he couldn't think of anything to say).

Upon arriving at the Mt. Moon Square, Red sat by the small lake and looked blankly at the sky. Yellow nervously sat beside him and looked at the moon and the stars. She occasionally glanced at him, wondering when he was going to-

'_Hmm… I remember Blue telling me to do something…_' Red thought to himself. '_And Platinum told me to do something too. But what?_'

'_Arm around her, now!_' his brain yelled. '_Due to your… incompetence, I'm taking over!_'

Red shrugged and complied with his brain and put an arm around Yellow's shoulders. The girl jumped in surprise but slowly and carefully moved closer to him and leaned slightly.

'_Now, your next step: kiss her!_' Red's brain ordered.

Red started to choke and Yellow looked at him with a confused and worried look.

"Red, are you okay?" she asked, but the champion didn't hear her.

'_Kiss her?_' he thought to himself. '_But…_'

'_Now, you fool! Or I tell Blue that you ruined your date!_'

"How the hell are you going to do that without a usable mouth?" Red muttered to himself.

"Did you say something?" Yellow asked as she looked at him again.

'_Ha, you fool!_'

'_Shut up…_' "I… uh…" Red sighed and looked at Yellow. The moonlight reflecting off of her eyes sure made her look pretty… '_Ah, what the hell…_' Red leaned over and kissed her in the mouth.

Yellow almost jumped in surprise again before she lost all control over her muscles. Her eyes closed by themselves and she ended up basically falling into Red's embrace.

After the kiss ended, Red looked up at the moon and the stars while Yellow was in his arms, also looking at the sky.

'_Well, that worked out pretty well… I should ask Platinum and Blue for advice. And I should really listen to my brain a lot more._' Red looked at Yellow. "Hey, Yellow, want to do this again in a few days?" he asked. "Yellow?" he called when the girl didn't reply. Noticing that she was fast asleep, he kissed her on the cheek and looked at the sky again. "I'll take that as a yes. I need to get to Mt. Silver tomorrow, but when I return, I'll take you out on another date!"

* * *

**This chapter occurs immediately before the only chapter of SE that has death of a Dex Holder. Anyways, here's the post-ending.**

* * *

Post Ending:

Red sat dozing off on a chair in his house. In a few hours, he would go and pick up Yellow for another date, inspired by the success of the date three days ago. Suddenly, the phone rang and the champion woke up.

"Hello?"

"Damn it, Red! What the hell did you do?!" came Green's voice.

"Huh?"

"Pesky girl is forcing me to wear suits and is burning all of my other clothes! What the hell did you say to her when she visited you?!"

"Uh…" Red rubbed the back of his neck and wondered what to do. He considered in simply hanging up, but chose not to. There was no need to fuel the rage of the already-enraged Gym Leader. Luckily, there was another call incoming. "Oh, there's another call coming in." Red pressed a button to answer the other call. "Hello?" As the champion listened to the person on the other line, he froze. "What? … Platinum?"

* * *

**And…**

* * *

What Could Have Been (1 of 2):

Possibility 1/4:

"Get your asses out here, or I'll shove so many stink bombs up your asses that you'll be burping out stink gas!"

Possibility 2/4:

"Get your asses out here, or I'll shove so many stink bombs up your asses that you'll be crapping out stink bombs!"

Possibility 3/4:

"Get your asses out here, or I'll shove so many stink bombs down your throats, that next time you open your mouth, you're going to smell the stink all around you!"

Possibility 4/4:

"Get your asses out here, or I'll shove so many stink bombs down your throats that your breath will permanently smell like stink bombs!"

(2 of 2)

"And now, seeing you making the exactly the same mistake… I just got reminded of that day…" Blue suddenly glared at Red. "Also, much heavier than Platinum?!"

"Uh oh…" Red muttered. "How did you…"

"Why you! I'll have you know that everyone else thinks I'm very thin! And Platinum is _unnaturally_ thin! She's also 7 years younger! Of course she's lighter than me! But you didn't tell her that she was lighter than me. Instead, you said that I was _heavier_ than her!" she yelled angrily as she tightened Red's tie once more. "What is wrong with you?! And what is wrong with you males?! Don't you know how to say things without insulting anyone?!"

"Don't… kill… me…" Red gasped out. "I… have… a… date… that… you… forced… me… to… make… with… Yellow…"

"Now you make me sound violent and crazy!"

* * *

**And so ends all of the first ever Red & Yellow. Future attempts? Maybe in a long while…**

**Next up, or rather multiple chapters coming up will be the applicable pairings of the Dex Holders in order after Red & Yellow. So Green & Blue, Gold & Crystal, and so on until Black & White. White is not a Dex Holder, but Black is. So, after Diamond & Platinum, the next pairing would involve Black, and as such, Black & White.**

**Until the Green & Blue pops out as SE #026 (halfway done, as this chapter started around the same time as the Green & Blue), leave reviews and wait for SA #010 (as it'll probably come first).**


	26. Recovery

**This chapter takes place after SE #016: Distress. It has no relevance to SA whatsoever. SE #016: Distress is the SE version of SA #0****?6****, but this chapter has nothing to do with SA.**

**Speaking of SA/SE relations, (this may bust many theories and shatter hope) just because someone appeared in SE, it doesn't mean that that person won't die in SA. In SE, the Sinnoh trio is 3 years younger than Gold and Crystal while in SA, they are 4 years. In SE, Soul exists, and in SA, she does not. Thus, characters of SA and SE are not related. I can kill off, say, Gold in SE (or a story-branch within SE, like Platinum was for a short while) and he'll still appear and kick ShadowNet's ass (and Crystal's, says the first preview scene) in SA. Similarly, I can kill off like half the Dex Holders in SA but they'll still appear in SE like nothing happened. Besides, SE has multiple story branches. Platinum was killed in SE #004: Nightmare and was revived in SE #015: Revival, but she still appeared alive and perfectly well in the chapters between. So, in conclusion, Winona appearing in SE says absolutely nothing about her fate in SA. Sorry to bust the theory and hopes about Winona's survival in SA, for those who give a damn about her fate.**

**I do realize that there are a few moments in SA that mention events within SE (like in SA #005: A Day at the Beach, when Crystal recalls talking to Green about always being stuck with Gold, which she actually says in SE #016: Distress). Those are just for fun. An advertisement, if you will. I'm advertising SE in SA, and vice-versa. If I were to start a third story based on Pokémon Special (which I might), I'll be advertising that thing in SE and SA.**

**Also, no more Red & Yellow. SE #025: First Date will be the first and last attempt. Once again, Red is too oblivious, and Yellow is too nervous. As a result, it's difficult to have that pairing in primary focus.**

**Primary: Green & Blue****.**

* * *

Recovery:

Blue looked through the window of her hospital room. It was such a nice day outside… and here she was, stuck in her bed because she couldn't leave the room on her own power. She wanted to open the windows, but she couldn't reach. She could press a button to call a nurse, but the hospital was packed with people in horrible pain that day, and she didn't want to distract a nurse from tending patients. Apparently, Cliff Cave collapsed, and everyone inside and nearby were injured. No one died, thankfully, but many people were seriously hurt.

Blue glanced around the room. She noticed that her bag was on the floor to the right of her bed. Since her right arm was broken, she tried to reach her bag with her good arm. But when she twisted her body, she felt extreme pain from her ribs, as her broken ribs have not healed yet. It had only been a week since she was mauled by a pack of Tauros, after all.

"Ungh… where's Green when you need him?" Blue muttered.

She considered in pressing the distress button on her necklace pendent, but decided not to. The distress calls were for emergency only and she didn't want to abuse it. With a sigh, Blue forced herself to ignore the pain and reach for her bag, which meant that she had to lie face down on the bed. The moment she turned, she regretted her decision. The uncomfortably firm bed was now pushing against her broken ribs, and the firm pillow was now pushing the wound on her head.

Blue clenched her teeth and managed to reach and grab her bag. She quickly pulled it towards her and rolled onto her back again. For the next few minutes, she lay perfectly still, trying to ease the pain and steady her breathing. Once she felt okay, she reached into her bag and found her Pokégear. She noticed that there were 25 voice mails.

"Huh… Platinum sent me 5 voice mails," Blue muttered as she checked the list. "10 from Silver, two from Yellow, and one from everyone else except Green."

Blue found it odd that Gold had sent her one and played it first.

"Hello, senior, this is Gold. I heard about your accident and I hope you get better soon," came the goggled boy's voice in monotone. Blue had no doubt that Silver forced him to send a voice mail; a thought that was confirmed in the end of the message. "There! Now let go of-"

After playing all the voice mails, Blue called Green. The Gym Leader didn't pick up, but instead, the door to her room opened and he appeared in the doorway.

"What do you want, Blue?" he asked.

Blue put the Pokégear back in her bag and sighed. "You know, it took me a lot of effort to get to my Pokégear. You could've at least answered my call."

"So what do you want?"

"Not in the mood to talk?" she asked with a pout. She smiled a second later. "I'm just kidding. I called you because I want to see my friends again. But not here."

Green crossed his arms. "So what you're saying is that you want to get out of here."

"Yes, that's it. I want some fresh air, and I want to be near my friends."

"No," Green said without even thinking. "You're still not healthy enough to leave the hospital."

"But… come on! I've had worse!"

"No you haven't."

Blue crossed her arms (as much as she could with a broken arm and ribs) and pouted again. "You know, even Pryce took it easy on me whenever I got hurt."

"I'm still not convinced."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"_No._"

The Kanto girl sighed and thought for a few seconds. "You do know that I'm the oldest Dex Holder, right?"

"By a little, yes."

"I'm years older than all of my juniors. And they've sent me many voice mails asking if I was alright. I have to show myself to them to let them know that I'm fine."

"You can show your juniors that you're perfectly fine once you_ are_ perfectly fine," Green said. "Also, no one's stopping you from _calling_ them."

Blue sighed in exasperation. "Fine. If you won't help me, I'll just have to do this myself." With her good arm, she removed the blanket off of her and tried to inch her way off the bed. It was very hard, seeing how both of her legs were broken.

Green sighed. "Fine… just don't come crying to me later." He then walked over to her side and lifted her onto his arms rather roughly.

"Ow!" Blue yelped out. "Be careful!" Once she was stable in the Gym Leader's arms, she put her good arm around his neck. "You know, you need some practice with this," she said with a smile.

"What?"

"Carrying girls like this. Red does it in a much more comfortable way."

"And I should care, why?" Green asked as he exited the room.

Blue sighed. "Sometimes I don't even know why I bother…" She looked where the Gym Leader was going. "Hey, where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere where I can get a wheelchair."

"Are you going to carry me all the way, sweetheart?" Blue asked with a mischievous smile.

Green rolled his eyes. "I was planning on it, but now that you're feeling better…"

"No, no. Carry on."

"Maybe it's because of all the casts, but you're a lot heavier than I remembered," Green said.

Blue glared at him. "You have 5 seconds to rephrase that statement." She threatened to hit him with the cast on her arm.

Green simply remained silent while Blue started the countdown. When she counted to 1, the Gym Leader spoke. "Must be the casts."

The Kanto girl sighed and lowered her cast-arm. She knew that it was the best she was going to get out of him. "Yes, well… these casts weigh like 10 kilos, you know."

10 minutes later…

Green pushed Blue and her wheelchair out of the hospital. The Kanto girl took a deep breath and let out a contented sigh.

"Great, so now where do you want to meet the others?" Green asked.

"Pallet Town," Blue replied.

"… You do realize that we are in Cianwood City?"

"Yep."

"And you want to get to Pallet Town…"

"Just send out your Charizard," Blue said. She sent out her Ditto afterwards. "Turn into seatbelts, would you please?"

The Ditto looked at its trainer and moved onto her. It then wrapped itself around her and the wheelchair, effectively forming a multi-layered seatbelt that would prevent Blue from falling off during the flight.

"You and that damn clay…" Green muttered. He sent out his Charizard and hopped on. "Carry the pesky girl and her wheelchair," he commanded. The Charizard looked very confused, but soon nodded and carried the wheelchair.

Two hours later, the Charizard landed in Pallet Town. It had to go a little slower than usual since it was carrying a person on a wheelchair. While Green left to contact the other Dex Holders, the Kanto girl pulled out a small mirror to check her appearance.

She didn't like how the bandages stood out. With the bandages wrapped around her head, neck, chest, waist, arm, and legs (well, casts around her arm and legs), she was bound to get her juniors (well, those who cared) really worried. She withdrew her hat (which some genius folded and crammed into her bag, _Green_) and put it on to cover most of the bandage wrapped around her head. She then got her Ditto to change into a coat to cover the cast on her right arm and the bandages around her chest and waist. Blue then withdrew a foldable fan from her bag and used it to gently blow wind to her face. She was going to use that fan to appear calm and also use it to hide the bandages around her neck. She checked into her mirror once more and satisfied with her appearance, waited for Green to return.

The Gym Leader returned in a few minutes and he took a few moments to note the changes in Blue's appearance.

"What did you do to yourself?" he asked.

"You like it?" Blue asked with a smile. "It makes me look less hurt, don't you think?" She blew some air into her face slowly with the fan. "So…"

"They're coming. But it's going to take the Hoenn and Sinnoh Dex Holders two days to get here. Until then, I recommend that you stay in the hospital in Viridian City."

"No, I'm not going back into a hospital. I wanted to come here to get out of the hospital."

Green sighed. "So where are you going to stay?"

"What about your house?" Blue asked slightly nervously.

Green sighed again. "Fine."

"Hey, what about the other Dex Holders? You know, Red, Yellow, Gold, Crystal, and Silver?" the Kanto girl asked as the Gym Leader began to push her towards his house.

"Red and Yellow are in Hoenn right now. I sent Gold and Crystal to Sinnoh. I've also sent Silver with them, seeing how Crystal keeps complaining about working alone with Gold."

"I'm sure Crys likes the idea of working alone with Gold," Blue said as she put her fan back into her bag. She got her Ditto to change back to its normal self and returned it to its Pokéball. "And I'm sure Silver won't like being put in between those two. He prefers to work alone."

"I know that."

Once the two Dex Holders arrived at the Gym Leader's house, Green took a brief look around.

"So… what are we going to do?" Blue asked.

"I assume that you'll be staying here until the others arrive," Green started. "The best thing would be for you to lie on a bed and rest until that time."

"How about some lunch?" the Kanto girl asked. "I need some good food. Hospital food suck, you know."

"Fine," Green said with a sigh.

He forcefully lifted Blue onto his arms again and moved her onto a couch. While the Kanto girl grumbled about him being so rough, he went over to the kitchen to see if there was anything to eat. He returned within a few minutes with a bowl of soup (nothing else to eat, apparently). Blue carefully sat up and had her Ditto form into a tray for the bowl. She thanked Green for the soup and tried to eat, but had some difficulties.

Green noticed that Blue was unsteady with her spoon, as she was right-handed and her right arm was broken. She had to use the utensil with her left hand and she wasn't good with it. The Viridian Gym Leader sighed, wondering why he chose to stay with her in Cianwood earlier that day. Maybe if he wasn't there, then she wouldn't bother him like this…

"… Need help?" he asked after another sigh.

"No, I think I'm good," Blue replied, despite the fact that all the soup was spilling out of the spoon before it even left the bowl. To her surprise, Green took away the spoon and the bowl. "Hey, what are you-"

"Just shut up and open your mouth," the Gym Leader commanded as he held a spoonful of soup.

Blue looked embarrassed at the fact that she had to be _fed_. She knew that Green was embarrassed for having to feed her too. "… Sorry…" she muttered. Seeing the impatient look on his face, the Kanto girl opened her mouth.

Green put the spoon in her mouth and dumped the soup. "The soup is hot," he said when the Kanto girl appeared to be in pain.

"Oh, _now_ you tell me…"

A few minutes later, Blue finished with the soup (and burned her tongue, thanks to Green). As per her request, Green helped her back on the wheelchair so that she may head to the washroom to brush her teeth. Luckily for the Gym Leader, the Kanto girl required no assistance.

Later that day, Blue remained perfectly silent as Green carried her to his bedroom. The Gym Leader looked tired and stressed from having to do just about everything for her. For the first time that day, the Kanto girl wished that she stayed in the hospital. She was bothering Green way too much.

Green set her down on his bed and tried to leave. Blue quickly grabbed his hand before he was out of his reach.

"What do you want, Blue?" the Gym Leader asked with a sigh.

"I just… want to say that I'm sorry," the Kanto girl replied quietly. "I should have stayed at the hospital… Because I didn't, you have to take care of me…"

"It's okay."

Blue pulled the Gym Leader closer and kissed him. "Thank you Green. And I love you," she said once the kiss ended.

The Gym Leader cleared his throat and turned away. "Don't mention it."

Blue smiled as Green walked away. She made a note to herself to be less needy from now on; the Gym Leader was already busy enough with research and challenges from horribly weak trainers (by comparison). She got into a comfortable position on the bed and tried to get some sleep.

Next day…

Blue woke up after a long night's rest and stretched as much as she could without hurting herself. She slowly sat up and checked the clock; it was 10:30 am.

"Yikes, I overslept!"

She considered in calling Green to help her onto the wheelchair, but decided not to. Once again, she was going to be less needy that day. She sent out her Ditto and some of her small Pokémon so that they would carry her onto the wheelchair instead.

Once she managed to get onto her wheelchair, she got her Pokémon to push her towards the bathroom. Within a few minutes, she had brushed her teeth, washed her face, and got ready for the day. With her Wigglytuff's help, she managed to get down the stairs with her wheelchair and before long, she was in the living room. But to her surprise, Green wasn't in the house.

"Huh… I wonder where he is…" she muttered as she began to look around. "Green, where are you?"

Suddenly, the front door of the house opened and the Gym Leader appeared. He saw her in the living room and looked very surprised.

"What the… How did you get down here?" he asked as he shut the door behind him.

Blue returned her Wigglytuff back to its Pokéball and smiled. "I am capable of going up and down staircases without help, you know." She put the Pokéball back in her bag and crossed her arms. "You should have woken me so I don't oversleep, Green."

"You're still crippled, and you were asleep. It's common sense to _not_ wake up patients when they are resting."

"Fair enough. So Green… what are we going to do today?"

"If you're ready, then my grandfather would like to talk to you."

"Oh… okay." The Kanto girl put her Ditto-coat and her hat on and pulled out the foldable fan from her bag. She straightened out her clothes and smiled at Green. "I'm ready now."

Green withdrew his Pokégear and made a call. "Blue's awake. I'm taking her over to you right now. … Okay, I'll be there shortly." The Gym leader put the Pokégear away and began to push Blue's wheelchair out of the house. After shutting and locking the door, he began to push her towards his grandfather's lab.

Blue calmly fanned herself as she approached Professor Oak's lab. When the front door opened, she noticed that all the lights were off, and that there was absolutely no sound or movement. It was almost as if someone was preparing for a-

"SURPRISE!"

Blue jumped in surprise as Green turned the lights on and all the other Dex Holders (except Diamond and Pearl) popped out of hiding. Blue looked confused for a second, wondering how everyone arrived at the lab so quickly. Then everything fell into place and she smiled brightly at all of her friends. Green pushed the wheelchair to the center of the room and all the Dex Holders gathered around Blue. It appeared that the Dex Holders had been preparing a surprise party for the day when the Kanto girl would be released from the hospital. But since she decided to leave the hospital early, the party was never fully planned. And while pretending to be calling the other Dex Holders yesterday, Green had told everyone (who were already in the lab) to get ready for a small surprise. And the call to Professor Oak a few minutes ago was actually to inform everyone that she was coming…

"Wow. Thanks, everyone," Blue said happily.

"Senior, how are you doing?" Platinum asked.

Blue fanned herself a little. "I'm doing great, thanks." She took a look around. "Hey, where are your friends?"

"Diamond and Pearl are in the kitchen, preparing for the feast we have planned for you," Platinum replied.

"Oh, that's really not necessary," Blue said.

Silver and Crystal approached the Kanto girl, dragging Gold behind them. Silver handed her a rather large package.

"Sis, this is a gift from Gold," he said as he glared at the goggled boy.

"Isn't that right, Gold?" Crystal said from beside as she joined Silver in glaring at him.

"Uh… yes," the goggled boy replied as he cowered away from Crystal. "That is 60 000 PKD worth of medicinal food."

Blue gasped. "60 000?"

"It was Gold's idea. He wanted to buy 80 000 PKD worth, but we convinced him down to 60 000. Isn't that right, Gold?" Crystal said with another glare.

"Y – Yeah… they convinced me to _lower_ the money spent…"

"What do you mean by medicinal food?" Blue asked.

"It's a variety of food that helps you heal and recover faster," Silver replied.

"Wow. Thanks, Silver and Crys!" the Kanto girl said as she took a look inside the package. "You too, Gold."

"… 60 000 PKD… and all I get is a thanks…" the goggled boy muttered silently as he walked away. "60 000… I'll get you for this, Silver, Crys…"

"Did you say something?" Blue asked from behind.

"No, no," Gold replied. "Just plotting against Silver and Crys," he added quietly.

While everyone was helping with the feast, Blue talked to Yellow and Crystal. From them, she found out the truth about the party. Gold had initially planned to get her a 4000 PKD gift certificate, but was forced by Silver and Crystal to purchase the medicinal food, which cost the goggled boy 15 times the amount he was willing to spend. But more surprisingly, Blue found out that the whole party had been Green's idea. Apparently the Gym Leader had contacted the other Dex Holders the day after Blue was hospitalized to plan for her return.

Blue smiled and got Crystal to push her towards Green, who was overlooking the Dex Holders in the kitchen. The Kanto girl then gently pulled the Gym Leader's hand from behind, and when he turned to look at her, she pointed at the door.

"Let's take a walk, Green," she said quietly with a bright smile. "… Just you and me…"

Crystal let go of her senior's wheelchair and smiled at Green. The Gym Leader took her place and pushed the wheelchair towards the door. But as he passed the Johto girl, he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Mention this to anyone, and I'll triple your workload."

* * *

**Next up: Gold & Crystal.**

**Note: the end of this chapter was done rather hastily.**

**I hope I don't have to prove the SA/SE relation from above, because in order to prove that the character-fates of SA and SE are not related, I'll have to kill someone important in SA. And by 'important', I mean the Dex Holders. Am I going to kill any Dex Holders in SA? The answer is… I don't know.**


	27. Doomed

**Alert: I'm planning on creating a third story based on Pokémon Special. Special Events (SE) has the pairings, Special Adventures (SA) has an actual story structure (SE is a random compilation), and the third story will have… random humor and everything else. Its planned title is Special Randomness (or somewhere along those lines to fit SR). SR will be a random compilation like SE, and each chapter will either be a moment that doesn't fit in SE, or a moment cut out from SA that doesn't belong in SE. For example, SE #011: Playing the Game would be in SR instead of being modified again and again to fit in SE. Another example: one of the WCHB moments in SA #010: Journey's End has Gold play a prank on Crystal and the Sinnoh trio. That moment, expanded of course, would fit splendidly in SR. Also, all of the original plans for SA will be in SR, such as severe enmity between Platinum and Sapphire.**

**Would SR be as popular as SA or SE? … Probably not. Definitely nowhere near as SA. If I never make SR, then the planned SR chapters will either be: deleted, modified again and again to fit in SE, or appear in intermission of SA.**

**Anyways, despite being titled as Doomed, there is nothing doom-y about this chapter. No one dies or anything.**

**Primary: Gold & Crystal.**

* * *

Doomed:

Gold put a hand on his head and groaned. He had a serious headache, and his head physically hurt as well, as if he ran headfirst into a tree. He slowly sat up and examined his surroundings. It appeared to be late at night, as it was very dark and cold. And from what he could tell, he was near a park, underneath a large tree. But even in the darkness, he could still make out his billiard cue lying on the ground not too far away.

The goggled boy rose to his feet and picked up his billiard cue. He adjusted his cap and started to walk in a random direction, trying to find out where he was exactly. But as he walked, he could feel something on his billiard cue. Upon taking a closer look, Gold found what appeared to be charcoal all over the cue.

"Charcoal?" the goggled boy muttered. He took a look around and he saw what appeared to be a well in the distance. "Charcoal and a well… am I in Azalea Town?" He reached for his Pokégear but soon realized that he didn't have it with him. He didn't have any Pokémon on him either. "I have no Pokégear or Pokémon, and I'm in Azalea Town… what the hell happened yesterday?"

Soon, Gold managed to get out of the park and headed for the Pokémon Center. Inside, he checked the time; it was 1 am. Wondering why he was in the middle of Azalea Town past midnight, the goggled boy headed towards the nearest payphone, just outside the Pokémon Center. He reached into his pocket to withdraw some coins, but then realized that he had absolutely no money either. In fact, there was nothing in his pockets. The _only_ non-clothes he had on him were his goggles and the billiard cue.

"… F*ck…"

Gold took a look around, and after making sure that no one was nearby, he smashed his billiard cue into the payphone where the coins were stored. From the smashed phone, he took enough coins to make one call. The phone still worked, so he used the coins to make a call.

"Hello?" came Crystal's voice a few rings later. Gold noticed that her voice was unusually quiet and sad. He figured that it was probably because it was 1 am. The Johto girl was probably sleeping.

"Hey, Crys, this is Gold," he started. "I-" Unfortunately, he had figured wrong.

"You have some nerve calling me, you jerk!" Crystal yelled through the phone. "I told you I never want to talk to you again!"

"Whoa… what?" Gold asked. He wanted to ask what she was talking about, but the Johto girl had already hung up. "… Alright… what the hell happened yesterday?"

Gold turned around and sighed, wondering what he should do. He decided to go to Violet City to try to talk to Crystal. But first, he'll need supplies. He turned back to the phone and took all the coins from the smashed payphone. He knew stealing was wrong and he didn't like stealing at all, but this was an emergency; society would have to understand.

With the newly acquired money, he headed towards the nearest 24-hour store. He had to go through Union Cave to get to Violet City, so he'd need a flashlight (and a shotgun or something, in case he runs into trouble. Then again, he had his indestructible billiard cue) and probably some food. But as he walked through the aisles to pick absolutely necessary stuff (he didn't have much money, after all), he noticed the abundance of heart shaped things and chocolates.

"Someone stocked up on chocolates a bit too much," Gold muttered.

He grabbed a water bottle and a flashlight and headed towards the counter. From what he could calculate, after purchasing those two things, he would have enough money for one more phone call.

"Hey, looks like someone's been busy tonight," said the clerk when Gold approached.

"What?" the goggled boy asked. The clerk took a small mirror on the counter and showed it to him. Gold looked into it, and noticed that there were pink lipstick marks on his cheek. '_Huh. That's weird,_' he thought as he examined the mark closer. '_Crys doesn't use lipsticks… … Uh oh…_' "Hey, what day was it yesterday?" Gold asked, sensing impending doom.

"Valentine's Day," the clerk replied. "You must've been wasted to forget that."

"Oh sh*t…" Gold muttered. "I'm screwed…"

He hastily paid for the water and flashlight and ran out of the store. He headed straight towards Union Cave. He had to get to Crystal ASAP and try to explain things, even though he wasn't clear on the details himself. Could it be that he was actually cheating on Crystal? That was impossible…

But because of the dark, he failed to see a large tree near the charcoal store that had a large heart carved around the message "Gold + Plati"…

12 pm…

Gold panted to catch his breath right in front of Crystal's house. He ran through Route 33, Union Cave, and Route 32 to get to Violet City. He was tired, hungry, sleepy, but mostly confused by the time he arrived in front of Crystal's house. He was going to find out what happened, and the Johto girl would have to understand that whatever he did yesterday, he didn't mean it.

The goggled boy poured the remains of the water bottle on his face and used his sleeve to clean his face of all lipstick remains. It was obvious that seeing the lipstick mark would only infuriate Crystal.

Gold knocked on the door with whatever strength he had left. The door soon opened and Crystal appeared in the doorway. Seeing Gold, the Johto girl narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Crys… let's talk about this," the goggled boy wheezed out. Crystal rolled her eyes and proceeded to shut the door. Gold stuck his arm in the opening. "Come on, Crys! What did I do?"

"You know damn well what you did!" Crystal yelled. She tried to slam the door.

"Ow… Come on, Crys! I don't- Ow… know what- Ow… happened!" Gold yelled out as Crystal repeatedly slammed the door on his arm. "Whatever I- Ow… did, I'm sure I- Ow… didn't mean it!"

"Just go away!" Crystal yelled. She opened the door and pushed Gold out of the way. The goggled boy tried to reach out to her, but she slammed the door on his face.

"Crys! Come on! I don't remember what happened yesterday! And I ran all the way here from Azalea Town!" Gold yelled from the outside. With a sigh, he turned away. Crystal wasn't going to open the door again. In fact, it appeared that she was about to cry. "Oh, I'm screwed and I don't even know why!"

With the remaining coins in his pocket, he called one person that would be able to help him: Blue. Well, he _tried _to call her. Unfortunately, the only phone number that he memorized was Crystal's (apart from his own house, anyways). As a result, he had no choice but to call home. From his mother, Gold learned something new. Apparently Crystal had gone over to his house yesterday and dropped off his Pokégear and Pokémon.

"Another clue…" Gold muttered.

He requested that his Pokémon come to him, as he wasn't willing to walk all the way to New Bark Town. He then hung up and headed towards the Pokémon Center. As he waited, he went over the list of clues.

"Okay… It was Valentine's Day yesterday, I had lipstick mark on my face, I woke up in Azalea Town without my Pokégear or Pokémon, my cue had charcoal on it, Crys hates me now, and she dropped off my Pokégear and Pokémon at my house yesterday. Hmm…" Gold closed his eyes and tried to think. "… … I really need senior Blue's help to solve this mess. Crys definitely knows something about what happened, but she's not going to tell me any time soon."

30 minutes later, his Togekiss arrived in Violet City Pokémon Center with a bag on its back. Gold took the bag and looked inside. He found his Pokégear and his entire Pokémon team. He took his Pokégear and searched the recently-called list. The last person he called was…

"Who the hell is Laura?" Gold muttered. He looked at his Pokémon. '_One of my Pokémon must know what happened…_' "Damn it! I need senior Yellow's help!" He returned his Togekiss and sent out his Mantine (and Remoraids). "To the Viridian Forest!"

An hour later, Viridian Forest…

Gold knocked on the door to Yellow's house after returning his Mantine. A couple of minutes later, the door opened and Yellow appeared. She appeared awfully tired, though.

"Hi, Gold," she said with a warm smile. "How are you doing?"

"Crap," the goggled boy replied. "Something happened yesterday that made Crys hate me and I don't know what it is. So… I need your help."

"Oh… sure, I'll do my best."

The Kanto Dex Holder stepped aside and let Gold enter. She led her junior to the living room and sat on the couch. Gold sent out his Typhlosion. Yellow put a hand over her mouth and yawned.

"Okay… I'll see what I can do…" she put her hand on Explotaro's head and closed her eyes.

Gold sat on a chair and watched. He waited for a few minutes and when Yellow didn't react at all, he began to think something was wrong.

"Uh… senior Yellow?"

Yellow jumped in surprise and opened her eyes. "Oh, oh… right. Sorry." She yawned again and shook away her drowsiness.

"Uh… what's wrong, senior?"

"I'm really sorry, Gold. Truth is, I woke up when you knocked on the door. Red and I went on a cruise to Hoenn for the past few days and I only returned home a few hours ago."

"Oh. So I guess you couldn't read Explotaro's thoughts, huh?"

"No, I saw its thoughts," Yellow replied. "Yesterday, you bought a bouquet of flowers from the Goldenrod Flower Shop. You then flew around for an hour and stopped at a town. There, you met some girl. Your Pokémon didn't have a good view, but from what I could tell, Crys saw you and began to chase you. You dropped your bag and your wallet and ran away. From what your Typhlosion saw, I think the girl you were meeting took the money from your wallet. Crys returned, took the bag and the wallet and went over to your house to drop them off."

Gold groaned and put a hand on his head. "So I _was_ cheating on Crys… but… but that's impossible!" Suddenly, a thought occurred. "Wait… the girl took my money? And wait… I was on Mantaro for an hour? Did I stop anywhere?"

Yellow thought for a second. "I think you did half an hour into the flight."

Gold thought for a second before he rose to his feet. "Thanks senior. Now I'm going to go get someone else's help. You should get some rest."

Yellow yawned again. "Sorry for not being able to help you more."

Gold returned his Explotaro and left his senior's house. With his Mantine, he headed to Viridian City. From the Pokémon Center, he called Blue. It was a good thing he had the Pokégear number of every Dex Holder registered in his Pokégear. As he waited, he sat by a table inside the Pokémon Center and tried to come up with a theory on what happened. The Kanto girl arrived at the Pokémon center a few minutes later, as she had been in the Viridian Gym. She appeared a little angry at him, though.

"Uh… hey, senior. Why do I get the feeling you're pissed off at me?" Gold asked.

"Yesterday was Valentine's Day," Blue said as she crossed her arms and sat across the table. "I sent Red and Yellow onto a cruise last week so they could spend Valentine's Day at the climax of the cruise. Ruby and Sapphire went to Lake Verity. Dia and Platinum went to the beach in Cherrygrove City. Even Green took me to the cape in Route 25. But Crys told me what happened yesterday."

"About that," Gold started, but his senior wouldn't let him continue.

"You broke her heart! On Valentine's Day! You were cheating on her!"

"I – I can explain!" Gold yelled out.

"Really? Explain, then," Blue ordered.

"… Actually, I can't. I don't really know what happened yesterday. I need your help to find out what exactly happened. I couldn't have cheated on Crys. That's just not possible!"

Blue lightened her expression. "…Continue. How exactly am I going to help?"

Gold began to explain as much as he knew about what happened. "And I think this girl Laura is the one who caused the whole misunderstanding. I think she came onto me so she could take my money and then ditched me."

Blue sighed. "Girls who only care for money… disgusting…"

"Well, she's…" Gold trailed off. "Wait… from what I heard from seniors Red and Green, _you_ only cared for money!"

Blue appeared a little hurt. "… That was years ago, okay? At any rate! What exactly do you want me to do?"

"Maybe you can find out what exactly happened."

"Alright then. Tell me everything again, and I'll try to piece them together."

"Okay. As far as I know…"

Blue listened attentively as Gold listed all of the clues he found and everything that happened so far once more. After the goggled boy finished his story, the Kanto girl sat in silence as she began to think.

"Hmm… If I had to guess, I'd say that this Laura did some research on you. She knew about you dating Crys. I think this Laura snatched the flowers you bought for Crys and made it look like you were cheating on her. She was probably trying to get some money off of you."

"So… I have a stalker?"

"Either that, or this girl was insane and random things happened that caused a misunderstanding. It's impossible to determine what exactly happened." Blue sighed and pulled out her Pokégear. "I told Platinum to go talk to Crys, and I can call her and tell her that you're innocent, but you'll still have to talk to her to set things straight."

"I know," Gold said. He rose to his feet. "Well… thanks, senior."

An hour later, Violet City…

Diamond and Platinum stood outside Crystal's house, looking at each other. Diamond had to get to New Bark Town to assist Professor Elm (Platinum had to as well, but Blue had ordered her to talk to Crystal first, so she came to Violet City instead), so he had to say goodbye to the heiress.

"Diamond, you should have gone straight to New Bark Town instead of accompanying me to Violet City," Platinum said.

"I wanted to make sure that you arrived in Violet City safely," Diamond said.

Platinum smiled and grabbed his hand. "Thank you for your concern." She kissed him and looked extremely happy. "Go to Professor Elm, Diamond. I shall follow you once I am finished comforting senior Crystal. Though I fear that it may take a while, rest assured that I will meet up with you in New Bark Town."

Diamond nodded and soon left on his bicycle. Platinum watched her boyfriend with a warm smile before she knocked on the door. Before long, the door opened and Crystal appeared. The heiress looked at her senior and noticed the difference in her appearance. The Johto girl's hair wasn't combed nicely like normal, for one.

"Oh, hey Platinum," Crystal said with a fake smile.

"Senior Crystal, are you okay?" the heiress asked with a worried expression.

"Of course I am! Why do you ask?" the Johto girl asked with narrowed eyes. She knew why her junior came. Perhaps the younger girl would take the hint and just leave her alone. But unfortunately, Platinum could be clueless at times.

"I heard from senior Blue about what happened with senior Gold."

A vein bulged out from Crystal's forehead and Platinum noticed that her senior suddenly looked very angry.

"And what, did she send you here to rub it in my face?" Crystal yelled. "Sure, you have Dia who'll never cheat on you, and he took you to the beach yesterday. I'm _so_ happy for you! While I saw Gold cheating on me yesterday, you must've had such a romantic moment with Dia!"

"Um… senior?"

"Just go away and leave me alone!"

The Johto girl slammed the door shut and the heiress slowly walked away with a sad expression. As she walked away, she ran into Gold.

"Platinum, how's Crys?" the goggled boy asked.

The heiress sighed and proceeded to explain what happened. As Gold listened, he became more and more worried. Crystal was _really_ upset, seeing how she even yelled at Platinum.

"Well… I'll talk to her and see if I can get her to calm down," Gold said. "And don't feel too bad. Super Serious Gal is just super upset."

"I understand," Platinum said with another sigh. She still looked sad, however. She bowed to her senior and turned to leave.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I am going to Professor Elm's laboratory."

Gold reached into his bag and withdrew the Pokéball containing his Togekiss. He tossed the Pokéball to Platinum. "Take Togetaro. New Bark Town is a long way from here if you walk."

"Thank you very much, senior," Platinum said with another bow. With her senior's Togekiss, the heiress headed towards New Bark Town.

Gold approached Crystal's house and took a deep breath. Crystal was still very angry, and she was probably not willing to listen to any explanations. So the goggled boy decided to take a risk. With another deep breath to get ready, he knocked on the door. The Johto girl opened the door a few seconds later. Once she saw him, she proceeded to shut the door again.

Gold stuck his billiard cue in the doorway to prevent it from shutting. "Crys, if you can't tell when I'm being sincere even after all these years, I have nothing more to say. If you trust me, then meet me in front of the Pokémon Center in 10 minutes. If you don't trust me, then I really will have to find someone else."

As expected, Crystal froze from the other side. Gold put his billiard cue away and shut the door himself. Afterwards, he headed towards the Pokémon Center and took note on the time. He sat on a bench nearby and began to think over what he was going to say.

Exactly 5 minutes and 43 seconds later, Crystal showed up. She sat on the bench beside him, but at the very end of the bench.

"I'm… sorry, Gold," Crystal started after a sigh. "I heard from mom that you came to find me here, but what I saw in Azalea Town…"

"Crys, I don't know exactly what happened yesterday," Gold started. "I might have hit my head on something. But listen. There is no way that I would cheat on you." He put a hand on Crystal's shoulder. The Johto girl turned to face him. Gold looked into her eyes and as sincerely as possible, spoke. "I love you, Crys." Before Crystal could say anything, Gold reached over and kissed her on the lips. "If that doesn't prove that I love you, then I don't know what will," he said once the kiss ended.

"Gold…" Crystal muttered. Without warning, she burst into tears.

"Uh… Crys?"

"I'm sorry," she sobbed out. "I never should have doubted you…"

"It's okay, Crys. As long as you believe me, I'm happy."

Crystal kissed him and wiped away her tears. "Thanks for your sincerity. I love you too, Gold."

"If your mood is back to normal, does that mean that you'll talk to Platinum? I'm sure senior Blue will kill me if she finds out that you hurt Platinum's feelings because of me."

"Yes. I'll talk to Platinum and apologize for what happened. Then we'll all forget that this whole thing ever happened," Crystal replied.

Gold nodded and put an arm around Crystal's shoulders. "Hey Crys, what do you think actually happened yesterday?"

Crystal let out a content sigh. "As long as you don't regain your memory, we'll never know."

* * *

**As mentioned in SA #012: Once More Unto the Breach, the next chapter for SE will be a Ruby & Sapphire moment that will be in SA #013. This will be the very first time where two full different versions of the same event will be revealed. Of course, the SA version will have more story relevance and will be a lot shorter (SA has a story going on, after all), but we'll see how it goes.**

* * *

Post Ending:

_Valentine's Day…_

_Gold dug into his bag for his wallet (he was going to travel with Fly and didn't want his wallet to be in his pocket because of the risk that it might fall out) as the Goldenrod Flower Shop's clerk picked a recommended bouquet of flowers. It wasn't Gold's fault that he had no idea what flower to give someone during Valentine's Day._

"_Buying flowers for your girlfriend?" asked the clerk. "6000 PKD, by the way."_

"_That should be obvious," the goggled boy muttered. He gave the clerk 8000 PKD, to cover the bouquet's cost and the tip. He went out of the shop and sent out his Mantine. "Alright, Mantaro, to Super Serious Gal's house!"_

_30 minutes later, Violet City…_

_Gold kept the flower bouquet hidden behind him as he knocked on the door to Crystal's house. The door soon opened and Crystal's 'crazy' mother appeared._

"_Oh, hi Gold!" she shouted gleefully._

"_Uh… hi. Is Crys home?" the goggled boy asked._

"_No. Crys went to Azalea Town to pick up specially made Pokéballs and to deliver more Apricorns to Kurt."_

"_Oh. Thank you." Gold sent out his Mantine again. "To Azalea Town! Let's go!"_

_30 minutes later…_

_Gold got off his Mantine in front of Azalea Town's Pokémon Center. He didn't really know where Kurt's house was, so he needed to ask for directions. The Pokémon Center was packed, so he headed to the charcoal shop near the Pokémon Center. He carefully put the bouquet of flowers in his bag and entered the store. The moment he got inside, a Farfetch'd popped out of nowhere and snatched away his billiard cue._

"_Hey, what the? Give that back, you freaking piece of-"_

"_Gold, is that you?" came an unfamiliar voice from beside._

_The goggled boy looked and saw an unfamiliar girl looking at him. "Do I know you?"_

"_I'm Laura! And I LOVE YOU!" the girl squealed out._

_Gold looked at the girl with a surprised look. "… The hell?" He looked at the Farfetch'd and threw a small piece of charcoal at it. The charcoal hit the Farfetch'd in the back of its head and it dropped the billiard cue into a pile of charcoal. Gold reached for his billiard cue but Laura picked it up first. "Hey, give that back!"_

"_This is you famous cue!" she squealed out as she swung the indestructible, charcoal smeared billiard cue._

_The girl ran out of the store and Gold chased after her._

"_Hey, what the hell!" Gold yelled._

_The girl started to laugh as she ran towards a large tree and with the billiard cue, began to carve something into the tree._

"_Look what I wrote!" the girl squealed out._

_The goggled boy saw the carved message and looked confused. It wasn't good for him, as the message was a large heart enclosed around the words 'Gold + Plati'._

"_Who the hell's Plati? Are you trying to write Platinum?"_

"_Who's Platinum?" Laura asked. "No, my last name is Plati. There are a lot of girls with the name Laura in Azalea Town, so I needed to pick something distinct."_

_Noticing the girl's slight distraction, Gold tried to snatch his billiard cue. Though the goggled boy did manage to snatch his billiard cue, the probably-insane girl simply embraced him and kissed him on the cheek, leaving pink lipstick marks._

"_Hey, what the hell!" Gold yelled as he pushed the girl away._

_The girl suddenly reached for his bag and took the bouquet of flowers. "These are my favorites!" the girl yelled. The girl then snatched the goggled boy's Pokégear and dialed her own Pokégear number. "Now you can call me whenever! I registered my Pokégear number into your Pokégear!"_

_Gold gritted his teeth at the absurdity of the situation and tried to get the bouquet and Pokégear back. He managed to snatch his Pokégear back, but not the bouquet. While trying to get the flower bouquet back, he noticed the uncomfortable proximity between the crazy girl's face and his own. If Crystal was to see this…_

"_Gold?" came a familiar voice from behind._

_Gold froze. He turned around and saw Crystal looking at him with a horrified expression. "Oh… this is just not fair…"_

"_Gold, were you… … What are you…" the Johto girl stammered, unable to finish any of her questions._

"_Crys! This isn't what it looks like!" Gold yelled._

"_Oh, it's EXACTLY what it looks like!" Laura yelled._

_Crystal burst into tears and Gold quickly ran towards her. But the moment he got close, the Johto girl kicked him in the knee._

"_Ow, Crys! Believe me! I wasn't doing anything!" Gold tried to explain, but Crystal wouldn't listen._

"_You were cheating on me, you jerk!" she screamed out. The goggled boy tried to run to avoid experiencing the Johto girl's wrath, but she grabbed him by his bag and began to hit him on the head. "How could you? On Valentine's Day!"_

_Gold quickly took his bag off and ran for his life. Crystal dropped the bag and chased after him, and the content of the bag spilled out onto the ground, including the goggled boy's wallet and Pokégear._

"_Look, Crys, I'm sorry! But I wasn't cheating on you! That female is crazy!" he yelled, pointing at Laura in the distance._

"_Shut up! I never want to talk to you again!" Crystal screamed out._

_Laura picked up Gold's fallen wallet and took all the cash, seeing how no one was looking. Gold ran as fast as he could, occasionally glancing back to see how close Crystal was. The Johto girl was slowing down, as she didn't really have any energy to run. She simply picked up rocks and started to throw them. Gold continued running. He looked back to track oncoming rocks. But because of that, he couldn't see the low hanging tree branch. He slammed his head on the tree, and because he was running as fast as he could, he was immediately knocked unconscious from the impact._

_Crystal couldn't see because her vision was blurring from tears and had already turned away. She wiped away some of her tears as she walked back. She soon found Gold's belongings scattered on the ground. She picked up Gold's bag and put the other belongings into the bag. Inside the bag, she found an envelope._

_Crystal looked at the envelope but instead of opening it, simply crammed it back into the bag. She took all of Gold's belongings and with her Xatu, headed towards New Bark Town so she could drop them off at the goggled boy's house. Because she never opened the envelope, she would never find the crucial clue that proved Gold's innocence: a short letter from the goggled boy to Crystal._

_It was a simple letter with a simple message. "Happy Valentine's Day, Super Serious Gal. You won't hear me say this much, but here it is: I love you."_

* * *

**And so ends the longest Post Ending of SE. Now if you would just review… Please review! Now. I'm sure it won't take long.**

**I picked Plati to be the last name for the sole purpose of causing a misunderstanding. Is Plati even a last name? Probably not…**

**Drop reviews for Special Adventures as well if you haven't done so already. The constant decrease of reviews per chapter is getting me worried. I thank the faithful reviewers and I hope you remain faithful. So… please review! And wait patiently for SA #013, SE #028, and quite possibly SR #001.**


	28. Retirement

**Here is SE #028. As mentioned in the previous SE chapter, this is the SE version of the Ruby & Sapphire moment in SA #013: The Storm. This moment is currently the first (and only) moment that has two separate versions.**

**But… this took so damn long because this whole chapter didn't work out nearly as well as planned.**

**Primary: Ruby & Sapphire.**

* * *

Chapter 28: Retirement

"What?" Ruby exclaimed. He looked at Platinum with a surprised expression. "Sapphire's doing what?"

"Senior Sapphire is trying to return her Pokédex," Platinum said with a worried expression. "I have tried to convince her to change her mind, but it did not work. I am afraid that only you can change her mind, senior Ruby…"

"But… why's she trying to return her Pokédex?" Ruby asked. "She loves being a Dex Holder…" He jumped to his feet and prepared to go. "Where is she?"

"Senior Sapphire is currently at home, senior. I believe she is trying to convince her father to take her Pokédex."

Ruby looked at his watch. It was currently just before 1 pm, and because he was in Lilycove City, it would take a while before he could get to Littleroot Town. He needed to take the ferry that would take him from Lilycove to Slateport (that would take roughly an hour and twenty minutes), then he would simply run from Slateport to Littleroot, using his Swampert to cross the water in Route 103. Ruby estimated that he would arrive at Sapphire's house in… 3 hours.

He reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough money to buy the ticket for the ferry. He looked at Platinum.

"Hey… uh… can I borrow some money?" he asked with an embarrassed expression. "I need to take the ferry that would take me to Slateport, and… I can't afford it right now."

"Of course, senior," Platinum replied. She reached into her bag and withdrew her wallet. The smallest bill she had was worth 100 000 PKD. "Would this suffice?" she asked, looking at her senior.

"Uh… yeah. That would do…" Ruby replied. '_Sometimes, I wonder how exactly she has this much money…_' He received the bill from Platinum and stuffed it in his pocket. "I'll pay you back the next time I see you, okay?"

The heiress nodded. "But please hurry home, senior Ruby. Senior Sapphire needs you."

"Right. I'll see you later."

Ruby activated his Running Shoes and headed straight towards the port. If he was lucky (or fast enough), then he would arrive quick enough to take the ferry that leaves at 1 pm. If not, then he'd have to wait for the 1:30 one. He intended to spend the duration of the trip to Littleroot thinking about what to say to make Sapphire change her mind. The first thing he needed to do was… find out what was bothering her.

What could have possibly happened to her that would make her want to retire as a Dex Holder? Unfortunately, Ruby had been in Lilycove City for the past week (Contest related) and Sapphire had been… somewhere. Ruby sighed and wished that Sapphire carried around a Pokégear so he could call her every now and then. How the hell did she manage to live so long without a portable communication device?

4 hours later…

Sapphire simply stared into the television screen in her Secret Base while lying comfortably on the couch. She didn't know how the television worked in the Secret Base, but Ruby must've done something. She didn't know, and didn't really care either. On the television's screen, she could see the news anchor finishing with a story.

"… the Skitty played with the ball of yarn all night long. In lighter news, a man was found dead in his house after his heart grew 3 times the size of normal upon witnessing the most heartwarming scene in his life. Initial reports say that his death was caused by his heart crushing his lungs as it tripled in size. We'll bring you more information as it comes."

Sapphire shut off the television and yawned while stretching. There wasn't anything worth watching (then again, she never really watched television to begin with).

"What do you want, Ruby?" she suddenly asked.

"Knowing you, I'm surprised you didn't notice me for this long," came Ruby's voice from behind.

"I noticed the moment you entered," Sapphire said as she rose to her feet. She turned around and could see Ruby leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "So what do you want?"

"Why, Sapphire?" Ruby asked instead. "Why are you giving up your Pokédex?"

"That's none of your business," Sapphire said coldly.

"It is. As your neighbor and friend, it's my job to stop you from doing anything bad." Ruby slowly walked towards her. "So, why are you trying to retire as a Dex Holder?"

"I have my reasons," the Hoenn girl said as she sat back down on the couch. She crossed her arms and looked away from Ruby.

Ruby sat beside her and cleared his throat. "And they are?"

Sapphire suddenly sighed. She looked at Ruby and stared into his eyes. "I… I went to visit Coach yesterday, and… the people of Fortree City… they keep… avoiding me. I overheard some of them talking, and they think I'm some kind of freak!"

'_Well, that's not very surprising…_' Ruby thought to himself. "Why?"

"They think I'm only capable of fighting… like some kind of a battle freak."

Ruby simply stared at her. "Well… you are."

Sapphire sighed in exasperation. She rose to her feet and took a few steps away from Ruby. "You don't get it… Everyone in Hoenn knows me because of what I did as a Dex Holder. But at the same time, they all know that I'm focused on Pokémon battling. I spar with Chaka, I love training with Red and Green, and I like holding practice battles with Platinum. That's not going to change. I'm not going to participate in Pokémon Contests, ever. But that doesn't mean I should be avoided by everyone…"

"And you think giving up the Pokédex is going to help, how?" Ruby asked.

"If I'm no longer a Dex Holder, then people won't hear from me ever again," Sapphire said rather sadly. "I won't be there during Dex Holder meetings or ceremonies, and in time, people will forget me, and I'll be able to go places without being avoided."

"If you would stop doing barbaric things, I think this whole problem would be solved," Ruby said.

"Battling is not the only reason why people avoid me…" the Hoenn girl said with a sigh. "They know almost everything about me… They know that I can lift up Ronono… and that's one of the main reasons why people think I'm a freak. It's not my fault I can lift up Aggrons without much difficulty…"

"You can lift up your Aggron?" Ruby asked. "I never heard that before…"

"Well… I can't run while carrying it, but yeah, I can lift up Ronono."

Ruby shook his head. "Anyways… You know, it could just be a small group of people in Fortree City that doesn't like you. You can't give up the Pokédex just because of that."

"No… I stopped by Mauville, Slateport, and Oldale on my way back to Littleroot," Sapphire muttered. "Same reaction… … Even people from Littleroot avoid me… I can't stand it!" She turned to look at Ruby again, and the ex-Johto boy was surprised to see tears in the girl's eyes. "I've been called a freak twenty times in five different cities and towns yesterday…"

Ruby tried to think of a solution to Sapphire's problem, but no ideas came. He then tried to think of comforting phrases to say to the girl, but again, no ideas came up.

Sapphire suddenly calmed down. "… I'm glad you came though… I wanted to talk to you…"

"Huh?"

"I want you to make me a new set of clothes," she said. "So people don't recognize me. And I'm going to stay away from every Dex Holder from now on and do whatever I can to remain hidden from the public. So… I want you to apologize to the other Dex Holders for me… especially to Red and Platinum…" Sapphire suddenly wiped away a tear. "And I wanted to say goodbye…"

Ruby looked very surprised. "What?"

"I'm going off to a faraway region where people won't recognize me. I'll be staying away from every Dex Holder… including you. I… don't know when I'll be able to see you again, so I want to say goodbye." Sapphire suddenly hugged Ruby. "Good bye, Ruby… I'll miss you…"

Ruby simply watched Sapphire as she started to walk away. He quickly snapped out of his shock and desperately thought of a way to get Sapphire to change her mind. Then an idea suddenly came…

"Wait," Ruby said. "I'm going with you."

Sapphire turned to look at him. "What?"

"I'm going with you," Ruby repeated. "You know that Dex Holders are widely known for their battling talents. As you might imagine, that image doesn't sit well with me." He cleared his throat and thought of what to say from there. "Remember, I just… ended up with the Pokédex. The only reason why I kept it all this time was because… well, I'll be blunt. It was because of you." He carefully examined Sapphire's expression. His plan seemed to be working… "But now, if you were to relinquish your Pokédex, then there's really no point in me holding onto mine, now is there?"

"But… you can't give yours up too! Our seniors need you," Sapphire said.

Ruby shrugged. "They need you more than me. You know that Red relies on you, Gold, and Platinum whenever some evil team arises. And Platinum looks up to you as her role model. Are you going to abandon their trust?"

"Platinum doesn't look up to me… She looks up to Blue and Red," Sapphire replied. "And as for Red, he has Gold to help him. They work great together, so me being there doesn't really change anything."

"Red and Blue are 7 years older than Platinum," Ruby said. "She needs someone closer to her age that she can look up to. But whatever. It's your decision. If you leave, I'm going with you."

Sapphire groaned. "Don't be like this… please… It's my decision to leave, but… I can't make you give up your Pokédex too… Our seniors need you… Hoenn needs you…"

"Again, our seniors and Hoenn need you a lot more than me."

"What do you want me to do, then?" Sapphire asked. "People of Hoenn think I'm a freak and avoid me. If I stay as a Dex Holder, then I'll remain famous and be avoided forever. I can't just give up the Pokédex and go away because you'll do the same. So what do you want me to do?"

"You should focus on trying to change everyone's views instead of hiding. From what I heard, our seniors are going to start appearing on television shows. If you were to appear with them, then you could eventually get people to look at you differently. It would be rough at first because you'll be seen by people everywhere, but if you keep appearing and doing things that don't involve battling, I don't see why people would still hate you." Ruby put his hands on Sapphire's shoulders. "In the meantime, I'll stay with you wherever you go so you don't feel alone and left out. And I'll see if I can get Master and your coach to remind everyone in Hoenn that you saved them from evil teams in the past."

Sapphire sighed. "Do you really think that would work? Appearing on television? What if I screw it up and people hate me more?"

Ruby looked into her eyes. "… That's not going to happen. It's not live broadcast." He gave her a pat on the shoulder and satisfied that he managed to change her mind, he sat on the couch again with a smile. "And what happened to your old confidence? Come on, when did you ever worry about screwing up? If anything, you were always enthusiastic about everything."

"… I guess I lost confidence when everyone started calling me a freak…"

"Well then, I'll help you regain that confidence," Ruby said.

"How?"

"Well… All I need to do is lighten your mood. You won't feel any more confident about anything if you're sulking like that. So, I'll help you do 3 things that you've always wanted to do. Any 3 things."

"Any 3?" Sapphire muttered. "Um… I think I'll feel a lot better if you take me to Mirage Island…"

'_Mirage Island? … I should've seen that one coming…_' "Sure, why not." Ruby rose to his feet and headed out of the Secret Base. "Come on, then. Let's go find Grand Master so we can find out _how_ to get there."

Sapphire smiled and quickly followed. "Thanks Ruby. I feel much better now."

Ruby grabbed her hand and looked at her. "Do you still want to give up the Pokédex?"

The Hoenn girl shook her head. "Nah… I think I'll be happier to know that we're both Hoenn Dex Holders…"

* * *

**A short chapter uploaded after a long time… This didn't go as well as planned… not at all… Oh well… at least the upcoming chapter is almost done…**

**Next up: Diamond & Platinum.**

**After the Diamond & Platinum, I have two choices…**

**Choice 1: have SE #030 ~ SE #032 form a Black & White burst; the not-so-recent to recent developments in the BW arc provides ample Black & White moments. SPOILER ALERT! From White's fall from the Ferris Wheel (could people always open the door like that?) to her miserable attempts at Pokémon capture to her farewell with Black at the Battle Subway station, there are lots of Black & White moments that I could put in SE.**

**Choice 2: go as planned; SE #030 as Black & White, and future SE chapters to be decided at random. I still have some leftover chapters-in-the-works, so…**


	29. Operation Mistletoe

**It turned out that there was one Silver & Soul one-shot in the works before the whole pairing stopped in SE. And seeing how it's set on December 25, I decided to fix and upload this as the very last Silver & Soul of SE. But if the chapter had consisted of only Silver & Soul, I would have deleted it. This chapter contains every single pairing within SE, and that's the main reason why I didn't delete it. But the primary focus is on Silver & Soul. If you don't like this pairing, then relax and if you do like this pairing, don't get excited, as there are no more chapters planned, completed, or in the works left with this pairing. This is this pairing's last shot at glory (from me).**

**For those who wanted to see Diamond & Platinum, relax. It's over 80% done. But it'll be finished and uploaded after I finish with SR #004.**

**Primary: Silver & Soul**

* * *

Operation Mistletoe:

Veilstone City, Sinnoh, December 25, 3 pm…

It was snowing. A lot. The entire city was nearly buried in snow, and the street lamps had a thick layer of snow around them from the massive blizzard that had been going for over three days. The sky was completely dark from the thick clouds.

Two people were fighting their way through the blizzard, trying to find their destination. The two people were…

"Ruby, do you even know where we're going?"

"Uh… well, let's just say that a map is useless when you can't see it, Sapphire."

"Where are we supposed to go again?" the Hoenn girl asked.

"Platinum rented the entire Veilstone Ballroom for a combination of Silver's birthday and Christmas party. And I think we're almost there."

Sapphire groaned as a strong gust of wind blew a small pile of snow on the ground into her face. "Ah, it's so damn cold!"

Ruby chuckled as he watched Sapphire shiver. The climate difference between Hoenn and Sinnoh was huge, especially during winter. And seeing how Sapphire had lived in Hoenn all her life, she was quite weak to cold weather.

"It's not that cold, Sapphire. Winter in Johto is quite cold too. I guess you're not accustomed because you only lived in Hoenn."

Another strong gust struck the two Hoenn Dex Holders. Sapphire quickly hid behind Ruby, using him as a human windshield. The ex-Johto boy shivered in the harsh wind. Sapphire elbowed him in the back.

"Hey, you said that you were accustomed! But here you are, shivering like I am!"

"Sinnoh's much colder than Johto, you know…"

"Ruby, how much longer do we have to walk?"

"10 minutes, I think."

Sapphire clenched her hand into a fist. "Make that 5. Let's run."

"You do realize that there is 50 cm of snow on the ground?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, but if we run, we won't feel as cold."

"Alright then… let's…" Ruby trailed off upon seeing someone standing in the snow underneath a street lamp. "Hey, who's that?"

Sapphire looked at where Ruby was looking. "Hey, that's Platinum!"

The two Hoenn Dex Holders ran towards the heiress as fast as they could. Upon seeing her seniors, Platinum bowed and ran towards them.

"Ah, seniors Ruby and Sapphire! I have been waiting for you!" she said happily. "I was afraid that you would be lost in the blizzard."

"Thanks, Platinum," Ruby said.

Sapphire looked at her junior from head to toe. "Aren't you cold?" she asked, pointing at the heiress's bare legs. Even though Platinum was wearing a thick coat, she was still wearing a skirt.

Platinum shook her head. "No, senior. I have experienced colder weathers before and I am accustomed to harsh winters of Sinnoh."

Meanwhile, at the ballroom, the other 10 Dex Holders were already busy decorating, and in some cases, eating. Blue looked at the other Dex Holders and decided to initiate what she called Operation Mistletoe. The plan was really simple, but she needed help. She quietly and carefully sent messages to the 3 Dex Holders who would help her: Silver, Emerald, and Pearl.

The 3 Dex Holders had enough motives to agree with the plan. Silver was threatened with the presence of Soul, Emerald wanted to see Gold embarrassed and how Gold, Crystal, Ruby, and Sapphire would deal with awkward moments, and Pearl wanted Diamond to _finally_ tell Platinum how he felt.

The 4 Dex Holders had a short meeting away from everyone else where they discussed the basic plans. It wasn't a complicated plan (quite simple, actually), but Blue recruited the other 3 to avoid suspicion. After the short discussion, the 4 Dex Holders spread out to initiate Operation Mistletoe.

Gold & Crystal…

Silver looked at Crystal, who was busy decorating a giant tree (all alone). On the other side of the room, Gold was busy eating from the food table. Silver walked past the goggled boy and tapped him in the back of the head.

"What?"

"Stop stuffing your face and go help Crys," Silver said.

Gold looked over at the Johto girl and with a shrug, walked over. He stood directly beside her and looked up at her (Crystal was on a small ladder).

"Yo, Crys, need help?" he asked with a bored expression. It was blatantly obvious that he had absolutely no intention of actually helping.

Crystal sighed in exasperation. "No thanks, Gold. You won't be of any help."

"Oh well, I tried." The goggled boy was about to go back to the food tables when Emerald walked up to him. "What's up, Odd Boy?"

Emerald looked above Gold and grinned. "You should tell me."

Crystal looked up and then realized that she and Gold were under the mistletoe… She dropped the box of decorations in shock as Gold looked up. The box hit the floor with a loud thud, gaining the unwanted attention of everyone else.

"Now Crys, why would you put that there?" Gold asked silently. He suddenly grinned. "Did you want me so badly that you secretly planted that there?"

"I – I didn't…" Crystal stammered out.

The two Johto Dex Holders looked at the others and realized that they were all looking at them expectantly. Gold lowered his head and rubbed the back of his neck. Emerald grinned as his senior looked extremely embarrassed.

"Oh well, if I have to, then I guess I have no-" Gold simply pulled Crystal down from the ladder and kissed her. The Johto girl looked very shocked and her face turned completely red.

Just then, the door opened and Ruby, Sapphire, and Platinum entered. Upon seeing their seniors kiss, they simply stared at them in surprise.

"… What'd we miss?" Ruby asked.

Next victim…

Blue slowly walked towards Green, who remained sitting in the corner with the newspaper. She simply walked past him but just before she actually passed him, pretended to trip. With precision, she landed on top of the Gym Leader, crushing the newspaper beneath her. She quickly repositioned herself so she was basically lying on the Gym Leader's lap.

"Oops, sorry, Green," she said with a giggle.

Green simply stared at her. "Well then, would you care to get off of me?"

"Aw, don't be like that. This is a party! Don't just sit here reading the news!"

Green rolled his eyes and forcefully pulled his arms and the newspaper from under Blue. He spread the crushed newspaper, effectively blocking Blue from his vision. The Kanto girl bit her lip; it seemed it would take a lot more effort to get her plan to work… She simply looked up.

"Hey Green, we're under the mistletoe," she said rather quietly.

The Gym Leader looked up and he could see the mistletoe attached to the ceiling directly above him. But he calmly looked back down and resumed reading the news.

"All I saw was your Ditto," he said in monotone.

"No, no. That's real," Blue lied, rather surprised that Green found out so quickly. "Come on, Green. You know the tradition."

"The tradition only applies to real mistletoe, not a Ditto."

Blue suddenly got off of Green. "You jerk!" she said rather angrily. No other Dex Holder heard her as they were all currently busy laughing at the reactions of Red and Yellow who were caught under the mistletoe (placed by Pearl when everyone was looking at Gold and Crystal kiss). "You don't even appreciate me enough to kiss me? After all those dates…"

Green looked up from his newspaper and could see Blue crying. After a few seconds, he looked into the newspaper. "Fake tears won't work, Blue. You've used them too much."

Blue instantly appeared perfectly normal. "I guess that was a stupid idea… you'll never fall for that…" She crossed her arms and tried to think of something else.

Green sighed. Thanks to Blue, he had been reading the exactly the same sentence on the newspaper for the past minute. He put the newspaper away and rose to his feet. Much to Blue's surprise, he reached over and kissed her.

"For the record," he said once the kiss ended. "I only did that because of the mistletoe."

Blue smiled and gave the Gym Leader a short embrace. "Thanks Green…"

The Viridian Gym Leader sat back down and resumed reading the news. The Kanto girl sighed in content and walked away to continue with the operation. So far, the operation had been going very well. Red and Yellow couldn't look at each other without having their faces turned completely red, and Crystal simply couldn't look in Gold's direction.

And now, the next targets were… Ruby and Sapphire. The two Hoenn Dex Holders were currently sitting in front of the fireplace, warming themselves up.

Emerald quietly extended his Magic Hand Extensors to attach the mistletoe on the wall directly above Ruby and Sapphire (the two were sitting _very_ close to the fireplace). If he made the slightest sound, Sapphire would surely turn around to see what he was doing. But luckily, the Hoenn girl was still shivering quite a bit and thus didn't notice anything.

After completing his task, Emerald quietly backed away to avoid suspicion. Now… how to get Ruby and Sapphire to notice the mistletoe…

"Diamond, why did seniors Gold and Crystal kiss?" Platinum asked as she helped Crystal finish decorating the tree.

The Sinnoh boy was standing behind her with a plate full of food. He was going to help, but the tree was almost finished, so…

"Well, when two people are caught standing under the mistletoe, they have to kiss. It's… tradition," Diamond replied.

"Oh…" the heiress turned to look at Diamond, but something caught her eye. "Diamond, I do believe that seniors Ruby and Sapphire are also under the mistletoe."

The Sinnoh boy turned to look and he could see his two seniors sitting unaware under the mistletoe. He sighed and wished that he would be standing under the mistletoe with Platinum… But he was afraid that the heiress would think strangely of him if he did try to kiss her under those conditions. He soon became lost in thought and thus forgot about his two seniors under the mistletoe.

"Hey! Fashion Boy and Wildchild Girl!" Gold suddenly yelled from behind. The two Hoenn Dex Holders turned around to see what the goggled boy wanted. "You're sitting under the mistletoe!" he yelled, glad that there would be another pair of Dex Holders to suffer the embarrassment and awkward moments like he did.

Ruby and Sapphire looked up and saw the mistletoe attached on the wall directly above them. Sapphire had a blank expression while Ruby groaned.

"Ruby, what's that thing?" Sapphire asked.

Ruby sighed. "That's… called the mistletoe. Any two people caught under it need to… kiss…"

Sapphire started to blush. "… Really? Are you making that up?"

"Now why would I make that up?"

The Hoenn girl looked embarrassed. "Um… should we?"

"I guess we have no choice…"

With another sigh, Ruby reached over and gave Sapphire a quick kiss. He wasn't blushing or anything, but the Hoenn girl's face turned completely red from embarrassment. After the kiss, the two Hoenn Dex Holders simply sat in awkward silence. Ruby cleared his throat and tried to say something, but no words came.

"Um…" Sapphire started nervously. "… Want to do it again?"

Next target…

The majority of the Dex Holders now carefully examined the ceiling above them, in case they were under the mistletoe that they were not aware of. Pearl kept an eye on both Platinum and Diamond. Currently, Platinum was standing near the Christmas tree and Diamond was standing with her. They were looking at Ruby and Sapphire, unaware that Pearl was sneaking up behind them. The hasty Dex Holder hid in the Christmas tree and carefully placed the mistletoe above his two friends. He then carefully backed away.

Blue approached the two Sinnoh Dex Holders and clapped her hands together. "Dia, Platinum, it's time for you two to kiss!"

Diamond froze and Platinum looked confused.

"I beg your pardon?" The heiress looked over at Diamond. "Why do Diamond and I have to kiss?"

Diamond looked up. "Uh… Lady? Look up."

Platinum did as told and blushed upon realizing that she was standing under the mistletoe with Diamond. The Sinnoh boy didn't know what to do. He wanted to kiss Platinum, but he didn't want to do anything that would make her uncomfortable. He'd wait until-

Platinum suddenly kissed him. Diamond quickly snapped out of his infatuation and kissed back. It was a good thing he had already swallowed all the food in his mouth…

Final target…

Blue gathered the 3 Dex Holders who had helped her. She congratulated them on a job well done.

"This is all over now, right sis?" Silver asked.

"Yep, it's over," Blue lied. '_Sorry Silver, but there is one left…_'

On perfect timing, someone knocked on the door really loud. All the Dex Holders (except Blue) turned to look, wondering who it could be. The party was only for Dex Holders as far as they knew. Blue looked and Silver and smiled. The Johto Dex Holder looked back and realizing something, groaned.

"Sis… what did you…"

"Sorry, Silver. But there is one part left to my plan."

"SILVER!" came a familiar female voice from the outside.

The Johto Dex Holder ran towards the nearest window.

"Get him!" Blue yelled.

Ruby and Sapphire quickly ran and tackled their senior. Gold and Crystal also joined. The 4 Dex Holders each grabbed Silver's limb and held him in the air. They wanted him to suffer the same embarrassment and awkwardness they experienced a short while ago.

"Unhand me you fools, before I skin you all!" Silver yelled while trying to thrash around.

"Let's just say it's…" Ruby started. He looked at Sapphire.

"Payback," the Hoenn girl finished.

Blue walked over to the door and opened it while the 4 Dex Holders forcefully moved Silver towards it.

"Soul! I'm glad you could make it!" the Kanto girl said cheerfully.

Soul noticed Silver being held 'hostage' by 4 others and wondered what happened. "Um… hi, Silver. Why are they…"

"He tried to run away," Sapphire started.

"You can let go of him now," Blue said.

The 4 Dex Holders instantly let go of Silver, and he hit the ground with a thud. He glared at the 4 Dex Holders and mentally swore revenge; nothing too serious, but still… He jumped to his feet and quickly approached Soul.

"Silver, what's wrong?" she asked.

Silver didn't reply and quickly dragged her away from the ballroom. It was too dangerous in there… He dragged her away from the door and halfway around the building. After making sure there was nothing above him, he looked at Soul.

"Why did you come here?"

"To see you and wish you a happy birthday," she replied, trying to remain cheerful. "Although that was yesterday…"

"Who told you I would be here?" Silver asked.

"Who else? Blue did."

The Johto Dex Holder sighed, feeling betrayed by his sister. "Sis… I should've known…"

"Silver, why are we out here?" Soul asked. "It's cold. Can we go inside?"

"No," Silver replied. "It's too dangerous there. Don't ask what I'm talking about, but know that it's just dangerous."

"Okay… Well then, it's just the two of us. Where do you want to go?"

Silver sighed as he sat on the snow. "I don't know yet."

Much to his surprise, Soul walked over and sat on his lap. Apparently she didn't want to sit on the snow. Suddenly, something dropped on his head from above. Silver looked up and simply froze. Soul looked up too.

"Hey, is that a…" she started.

"… Mistletoe…" Silver muttered.

The damn thing was directly above him, attached to a long length of string. Silver looked higher and he could see a fishing rod sticking out of a window…

"You know what that means, right?" Soul asked nervously.

"A bit too much, unfortunately…" Silver replied.

Soul suddenly leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. "Happy birthday, Silver!" she said cheerfully afterwards.

"Yeah… thanks… That was because of the mistletoe, right?"

Soul shook her head. "Nope." She leaned over again and gave him a deeper kiss. "_That_ was because of the mistletoe."

Blue watched from the window above and smiled. She was glad that Silver finally found a nice girlfriend… The Johto Dex Holder may be planning retaliation, but she was still very happy.

* * *

**Not really a Silver & Soul, seeing how every pairing was involved, but I think that pairing was in slightly better focus than the others. Ending has been rushed so it could be uploaded in the 25th.**

**Read, Review, Repeat.**

**Next up, Diamond & Platinum as it was supposed to be. The next planned updates for SE, SA, and SR are as follows: after this chapter (SE #029), SR #004, SE #030, SR #005, and quite possibly SA #014. The current SA update was for the intermission scene 1, not SA #014. That hasn't started yet.**

**And I have decided. I will not make a Black & White burst (yet). After SE #031, things will be random again.**


	30. Gone Fishin'

**Primary: Diamond & Platinum.**

* * *

Gone Fishin':

Lake Verity, Sinnoh…

Platinum sat quietly on a little boat, watching her fishing rod intently. It was her first time fishing, and she was excited to catch something. Diamond was sitting beside her, with a fishing rod of his own. He wasn't really paying attention to his rod, however. Platinum looked over at him and noticed that he was staring in her direction.

"Diamond, is there something wrong?" the heiress asked. "You seem preoccupied."

Diamond snapped out of his thought. "Huh? Oh… nothing." He quickly looked away and hoped that Platinum would not notice that he was staring at her. '_All alone with the Lady…_' he turned to look at the _other_ boat in Lake Verity at the moment. '_Well… all alone except for them…_'

The other boat, floating quite far away from them, had Red and Yellow on board. They were fishing as well, and enjoying the silence the tranquil lake offered. Red was asleep with his hat covering his face, and Yellow sat beside him, simply staring at him. The two Kanto Dex Holders would not be disturbing anyone.

But unfortunately for Diamond, Platinum seemed way too interested in her first experience at fishing to notice that she was completely alone with him. Suddenly, the heiress's fishing rod moved slightly.

"Oh, oh! I think I have something!" Platinum said excitedly. She tugged at her fishing rod, but unfortunately, whatever was on the hook let go. The heiress almost fell off the boat from pulling too hard, but Diamond caught her.

"Are you okay, Lady?" he asked.

"Yes, I am fine," the heiress replied. But her voice was filled with disappointment. "I almost had it…"

"It's okay. You'll have more chances," Diamond said. "But please be careful…"

Platinum nodded and resumed her attempts at fishing. Diamond looked at the boat which had his seniors. Red had woken up and he was helping Yellow as she struggled to pull up her catch. Seeing how Red was basically embracing her while helping, Diamond got an idea. For the time being, he'll need to wait until something bites.

"So… Lady, what made you want to try fishing?"

Platinum suddenly looked embarrassed. "I… um… saw an advertisement for a fishing rod, and… I became curious."

"Then why did you ask me to come with you?" Diamond asked.

The heiress looked away to hide a forming blush. "I thought that you would be better company for this than Pearl." She suddenly looked at him with a worried expression. "Why do you ask? Do you not like being here?"

"No, no, I like it," Diamond said hastily. '_A lot…_' "I was just curious. That's all."

Both Platinum and Diamond looked away and quietly sighed. The Sinnoh boy glanced at the heiress and wished he had the courage to say what he wanted to say.

4 hours later…

Platinum snapped into focus when her fishing rod started to shake violently. She had spent the last four hours talking to Diamond, discussing various things (such as what he was doing nowadays, and what he thought of his seniors), and as such, wasn't ready. She almost lost her fishing rod, but caught it just before it fell into the water. But she didn't have a good grip as a result.

"Diamond, help!" she yelled.

The Sinnoh boy jumped up and tried to assist. Because Platinum wasn't as small compared to him (unlike Yellow, who was significantly smaller than Red), Diamond was unable to 'embrace' the heiress while assisting. Instead, he grabbed the rod and stood beside her.

But unfortunately, the heiress seemed to have caught something _huge_. Diamond helping didn't do anything. Even as the words "Lady, let go of the rod!" were making their way from his brain to his mouth, whatever Platinum had hooked dragged her into the water. On instinct, he let go of the rod before he fell in as well.

"Diamond!" Platinum screamed before she hit the water.

'_No, no, no!_' "Lady! I'm coming!" Diamond yelled. He dived into the water after taking a deep breath. Only after a few seconds did he regret his decision to dive without looking inside Platinum's bag, which contained the Pokéball for her Empoleon.

Underwater, Diamond could see Platinum with her hands over her mouth, trying to kick away from her catch… which happened to be a Gyarados… of all things. Her catch seemed to be satisfied with _its_ catch.

The Gyarados swam towards Platinum at an alarmingly fast rate, with its mouth wide open. The heiress shut her eyes and braced herself, but Diamond managed to pull her away before she was bitten in half.

Platinum opened her eyes and looked at him. He noticed that she looked absolutely terrified… and she seemed to be suffocating from lack of air. Diamond looked at the Gyarados. It was swimming above the humans so it could block any attempts of them escaping. As a result, Diamond did the only thing he could think of to help Platinum breathe. He placed his lips onto the girl's and breathed into her lungs. He hoped that whatever air (and hopefully not the CO2) was left in his mouth would help the heiress for a little longer.

Platinum looked shocked. Diamond ignored her and focused on the Gyarados; a little too late, however, as he had barely enough time to push the heiress out of the way of an Aqua Tail. Platinum tried to swim towards the surface, but the Gyarados wouldn't let her. It tried to eat her again just as Diamond swam to catch up with her. Platinum desperately tried to swim away while the Gyarados was about to swallow her whole…

Meanwhile, on the surface, Red and Yellow looked where their juniors were a short while ago. Realizing what happened, Red sent out his Poliwrath to find and save the two Sinnoh Dex Holders.

Platinum opened her eyes, surprised that she was still alive. She turned around and saw that Diamond was holding the Gyarados's mouth open.

'_Come on, Lady… get out of there!_' Diamond thought, struggling to keep the Pokémon's mouth from closing.

After a few seconds of shock, Platinum snapped out of her trance and quickly swam out of the Gyarados's mouth. Thankfully, before Diamond lost strength, Red's Poliwrath smashed its fist into the Gyarados's face, forcing it to back off. The Poliwrath grabbed both Sinnoh Dex Holders and began to swim.

The Gyarados, pissed off, started to swim in a circle really fast, forming a whirlpool (either the move Whirlpool, or Twister. It doesn't really matter underwater). The Poliwrath lost its grip on the two Sinnoh Dex Holders in the vortex, and was forced to swim away to avoid being sucked in.

Platinum kept her hands over her mouth and tried to swim away while she was sucked into the vortex. Realizing that it was hopeless, she shut her eyes and hoped that at least Diamond would make it out alive. She was knocked out when something big hit her in the chest.

Diamond could see that Platinum had collided into him in the vortex. Afraid that he would lose her, he embraced her tight and shut his eyes. He knew he was going to die… he wanted Platinum to survive, but it seemed that she was going to drown with him… There was no way that Red's Poliwrath would be able to find the two Sinnoh Dex Holders in the vortex.

But then, something odd happened. Diamond noticed that he couldn't move or feel the vortex. He could still feel Platinum in his embrace, but couldn't feel the water around him at all. It was as if something had grabbed onto him with psychic powers… Diamond realized that something was pulling him away from the vortex and towards what appeared to be an underwater cave. And it turned out that the underwater cave was a part of the island in the center of Lake Verity…

The Sinnoh boy pulled himself out of the water while carrying Platinum's motionless body on his back. He concluded that it was Mesprit that helped him with its psychic powers. He sincerely thanked it (he was sure that it could hear him) and gently set Platinum onto the cave floor. He then sat beside her and looked up. He could see the sky through big gaps in the cave ceiling, and more than enough light filtered through the gaps to illuminate the entire area. There weren't any paths or exits… The only way out was back into the water.

The Sinnoh boy looked at the heiress who was still lying motionless. He quickly took off her hat and tried to see if she had been injured. As far as he could tell, Platinum didn't have any cuts or injuries on the head, so he put her hat back on. He then checked her arms and legs and was relieved to find no cuts or bruises.

Diamond carefully checked Platinum's pulse. To his relief, the heiress was alive. She wasn't breathing, but her pulse was strong. He sighed in relief and leaned against the cave wall. He gently pulled Platinum towards him and moved her so that the heiress would rest her head on his lap. Diamond then took off his vest and put it on Platinum. He gently brushed the few strands of hair away from the heiress's face and carefully kissed her on the cheek. He hoped that she would wake up soon, and closed his eyes.

Platinum woke up a few hours later and began to cough up the water she swallowed. She groaned and turned to her side so she could spit the water in her mouth. She noticed that she was no longer in water and opened her eyes. She was rather surprised that she was alive…

'_What happened?_' she thought to herself. '_Why am I in a cave?_' She noticed that there was something warm covering her. It took her a second to realize that it was Diamond's vest… She gasped in shock. '_Diamond!_'

Platinum quickly sat up and noticed that Diamond was leaning against the cave wall. The Sinnoh boy appeared to be asleep… Relieved that he was unharmed and was asleep, she looked as the boy slept peacefully. The heiress then realized that she had been resting her head on Diamond's lap all this time… She blushed in embarrassment but couldn't help but admit that it was rather comfortable. With a smile, she lay down again and rested her head on his lap once more. She pulled Diamond's vest closer to her heart and tried to sleep.

…

"Lady? Lady, wake up."

Platinum slowly opened her eyes. She could see Diamond looking at her with a worried expression.

"Hello, Diamond," the heiress said with a smile.

"Oh, I was so worried… Lady, are you okay?" Diamond asked.

Platinum slowly sat up and smiled again. "Yes, I am perfectly fine, thanks to you. Thank you for protecting me." She returned Diamond's vest back to its owner. "Again, thank you. But Diamond, where are we?"

"I'm not quite sure," Diamond replied as he put his vest back on. "I think Mesprit brought us here from the whirlpool."

The heiress took a look around. "How do we get out?"

Diamond pointed at the water. "We'll have to go underwater and resurface outside. Don't worry Lady, I'll make sure that the Gyarados isn't still out there." He suddenly looked worried. "You're not hurt, are you?"

Platinum shook her head. "I am unscathed."

"Good. Now, if you're ready, let's get out of here."

Diamond rose to his feet and extended a hand to Platinum. The heiress was about to accept it when she noticed something strange. She could see some blood on the cave wall where Diamond had been leaning on. Platinum looked surprised. She rose to her feet and slowly walked behind Diamond. The Sinnoh boy lowered his hand and sighed. He got caught…

"Diamond…" Platinum started. She could see a hole in the Sinnoh boy's vest and could see that the area around the hole had been dyed crimson. "Are… are you injured?"

"No, no… it's just a scratch!" Diamond said as he turned so Platinum could not look at his injury. But unfortunately, the amount of blood the heiress saw said otherwise.

"Diamond, please remove your vest," Platinum ordered. Diamond did as told and the heiress moved behind him to examine the injury. She gasped in shock. The injury was definitely _not_ a scratch, but more like a stab wound. "When… when did this happen?"

"I don't know," Diamond lied.

But Platinum seemed to have figured it out anyways. "The Gyarados… When you tried to save me from its mouth…"

Much to Diamond's shock, Platinum started to cry. "Lady, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I – I am so sorry, Diamond… Because of me…" she sobbed out. "I – I never should have asked you to c – come with me on this fishing trip!"

"Lady, it's not your fault. And don't worry, this is nothing serious. So please stop crying…"

Platinum calmed down slightly. She was still sniffling and it made Diamond feel miserable. The heiress gently bit her lower lip as she wondered what she should do. But soon, a thought occurred.

"Diamond, please hold up your shirt."

"Huh? Why?" the Sinnoh boy asked.

"I am going to try to stop the bleeding," the heiress replied.

"How?" Diamond asked. He glanced back and noticed that Platinum had taken her hat off. "No, no, no, not your hat, Lady," he said as he quickly turned around.

"It is very similar to cotton, Diamond," the heiress said as she squeezed the water out of her hat. "It would be highly effective in preventing blood loss."

"Use my hat! Yours is expensive…"

"No. I cannot let you ruin your hat too. Diamond, please turn around."

"But Lady… my hat's not worth anything…"

Platinum calmly looked into Diamond's eyes. "You have saved my life today. This is the least I can do in return. So please turn around."

The Sinnoh boy gave up and turned around. "Thank you…" he muttered as he lifted his shirt enough to expose the wound.

Platinum folded her hat twice and looked at the wound. "I apologize, but this may hurt. Please forgive me…" She then firmly placed her hat directly on the wound on Diamond's lower back.

"Ow…"

"I am so sorry… Please keep the hat in place for a short while."

Diamond did as told. "But how are you going to keep the hat in…" he trailed off when he felt something soft wrap around him. He looked down and saw Platinum's scarf acting as a roll of bandage. "Lady, not your scarf too…"

"It is all done, Diamond," Platinum said from behind a few seconds later. "You may now lower your shirt and put on your vest."

Diamond did as told again and turned to look at her. He noticed that the heiress was missing her hair clips… He moved his hand to his lower back and could feel the 3 hair clips pinning the scarf in place.

"Not your hair clips too…"

Diamond noticed that Platinum's hair was a lot longer than he thought. She sure looked cute without the clips… He shook away the thought.

"Well then… should we escape now?"

The heiress nodded. Diamond extended a hand to her and she grabbed it without hesitation. The two Sinnoh Dex Holders approached the water and after taking a deep breath, dived. Underwater, they could see a Poliwrath, Omastar, and a Gyarados swimming around. The Gyarados wasn't the one who attacked the two Dex Holders however.

The two Sinnoh Dex Holders recognized the three Pokémon as their seniors' and quickly swam towards them. With the three Pokémon protecting them, the two Dex Holders swam to the surface where Red and Yellow were waiting.

"Dia, Platinum! There you are!" Red yelled as he rowed his boat towards them.

"I am terribly sorry for worrying you, seniors," the heiress said as she received assistance in climbing onto the boat. "I am perfectly fine." She quickly helped Diamond get on the boat and looked at her seniors. "But I am afraid that Diamond is hurt. He needs to go to the hospital immediately."

Red and Yellow sent out their aerial transport Pokémon. Red's Aerodactyl carried Diamond while Yellow's Butterfree carried Platinum. The two Sinnoh Dex Holders headed towards the nearest hospital while the two Kanto Dex Holders stayed behind to pack up (equipment, boats, etc).

Luckily, it was determined that Diamond's injury wasn't serious and that he'd recover quickly and without worries. Platinum still felt horrible as she believed that it was her fault that he got hurt. She just _had_ to ask Diamond to join her in her fishing trip, she just _had_ to hook a _Gyarados_, and she just _had_ to be in its mouth… As a result, she chose to stay away from Diamond for a while. She didn't want to cause any more problems for him.

5 days later, Viridian Forest…

Platinum wandered through the forest, looking at the lush trees and relaxing in the calm atmosphere. She could hear the stream nearby and headed towards it under the thought of cooling down. When she got close, she could see Yellow lying on the ground beside the stream.

The heiress quickly approached her senior, worried that something bad happened. But as she came close, Yellow turned to look at her. The Kanto Dex Holder sat up and gave her a warm smile as she waved.

"Hi, Platinum," she said cheerfully.

Realizing that she had been worried for no reason, the heiress smiled and bowed in response. "Hello, senior Yellow." She sat beside her senior. "May I ask what you were doing?"

"Well, um… I was just relaxing, that's all," Yellow replied. She pointed at her fishing rod in the water. "And I'm waiting for a response." She looked at Platinum and gave her a warm smile. "Hey, do you want to try? You didn't really catch anything last time."

The heiress thought for a second. Seeing how she was now near a small stream of water and thus had no chance of catching something as big as a Gyarados, she nodded. Yellow gave her another fishing rod and the heiress excitedly put the hook into the water. Yellow tapped her junior on the shoulder.

"Don't get too excited," she said. "Sometimes, fishing can take hours. So… relax."

The Kanto Dex Holder tilted her hat to cover her eyes from the sunlight and lay down. Platinum looked at her for a second before taking a look around. No one was watching, so the heiress carefully lay down on the grass. Normally, she wouldn't lie down on the ground at all, but… Platinum noticed that it was strangely comfortable. She looked at the clouds high above and took a deep breath. She felt so relaxed…

An hour later…

Platinum opened her eyes and yawned. It seemed that she fell asleep in the calm forest. She carefully sat up and looked around. Yellow was still asleep a meter away and… nothing seems to have changed. The heiress stretched and looked at her fishing rod. She was surprised to see it shaking…

"Oh, oh! I have something!" she yelled out excitedly. She took her fishing rod and pulled. But whatever she hooked was quite heavy. But the water wasn't deep enough for a big Pokémon…

Yellow woke up from the heiress's excited yell and tried to help her junior. The two girls pulled with all their strength, and soon they managed to successfully pull up whatever the heiress had caught. They were shocked to see that it was…

"… Diamond?" Platinum muttered.

"Hi, Lady…" the Sinnoh boy said with a wave as he held on to the fishing line. It seemed that he had removed the hook for safety reasons.

"What are you doing here?" the heiress asked as she let go of the fishing rod. Diamond let go as well and climbed out of the water. "And why were you in the water?"

"Well… I just wanted to see you again, Lady," Diamond said sheepishly. "I heard from Red that you were here in Kanto and… I came to surprise you."

"Oh, Diamond, you did not have to do that," Platinum said with an extremely happy smile. Her smile faded and appeared a little worried. "How is your back?" she asked.

"I'm perfectly fine, Lady. The injury's been completely healed."

Platinum hugged Diamond. "I am relieved then… And I missed you too, Diamond. Thank you for coming." She noticed that the Sinnoh boy was quite cold and pulled back. "How long were you in the water?"

"Half an hour," Diamond replied. "I came here and you were asleep, so you weren't going to notice me. So I got in the water so I could surprise you. I thought you'd wake up when I entered the water, but… you… didn't wake up, so…"

"That wasn't a well thought-out plan, was it?" Yellow asked with a smile.

Diamond rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh… no, I guess not."

Platinum rose to her feet. "Well then, come, Diamond. We should find you some dry clothes. Then afterwards… would you like to go to the cape in Route 25 with me?"

"Sure, I'd love to," Diamond replied. "I came all this way just to see you, after all."

* * *

**As always, the ending has been rushed.**

**Next up: Black & White. I haven't decided on what the moment will be about though. **


	31. New Agency

**Which Black & White moment did I pick? NOTHING. It's best that I leave those perfect moments as is and not ruin anything. **

**MISC: Mechanics 2. Not in-game mechanics, but more… real-life. These real-life mechanics make the world spin (kind of), but are a pain in the ass for stories. Technically, in SE #014: Stranded and SE #030: Gone Fishin', Gold, Crystal, and Platinum would not have survived their near-drown experiences, given the description. Brain cells start to die if the air supply is cut off for too long (more than 3 minutes, I believe). If enough brain cells die, the person could technically survive, but… they'd be a vegetable. I'm fairly sure that 10 minutes without air guarantees death.**

**As such, we should ignore some of those real-life aspects. In SE #014: Stranded, both Gold and Crystal were knocked unconscious, therefore unable to resuscitate each other. In SE #030: Gone Fishin', it wouldn't make sense for Platinum to be breathing if she was knocked unconscious underwater and it would be awkward for a boy (Diamond) to perform CPR on a girl (Platinum).**

**Things related to physics, on the other hand, will be applied as much as possible (if I write something that's physically impossible, let me know and why it's impossible). Meaning, no jumping from ridiculous heights and expecting to survive (the impact should shatter several bones at the least), no flying at ridiculous speeds on Pokémon, and none of that "I can swim deep, deep underwater" crap. Except for Sapphire; she's… one big (well, not big) physical anomaly. Pokémon and physics generally stay away from each other, but in SE, SA, and SR, PHYSICS APPLY (don't think too deeply on this, though).**

**Primary: Black & White.**

* * *

New Agency:

White sat on a bench and looked straight ahead, lost in deep thought. She was waiting for Black, who was set to arrive anytime. She had called him a few days ago and told him to meet her in Mistralton City, near the airport. There was an opportunity that she could not afford to miss, and it required Black's presence. It wasn't urgent, but it was better to take an opportunity as soon as it came up. But of course, that wasn't the only reason. Traveling alone without a goal was hard, but traveling alone after being with Black for so long was even harder. She missed him, and wanted to travel with him again.

White thought about what she was going to say to Black when he showed up. She knew it was going to be _really_ hard to convince him to take a break from his goal. But perhaps he would agree that this was an opportunity he could not miss or stall. It had been a while since she had last seen him. She wanted to know how much he had changed, and wanted to show him how much she had changed.

Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder from behind.

"Hey, Miss President!"

White jumped in surprise and quickly looked back. She could see Black standing behind the bench, with what appeared to be ice cream cones in both hands.

"Black!"

"Hi, Miss President. It's been a while."

White put her hands over her heart and took a few deep breaths with her eyes closed. "Don't surprise me like that!" When she opened her eyes, she could see Black holding one of the ice cream cones right in front of her. "… Is that for me?"

"Yep."

"Oh… thank you." White took the cone and noticed something about it. "Is this a Casteliacone?"

"Yep. A couple of months ago, you bought me some Casteliacones and I thought I'd return the favor a little," Black said.

"How did you get these here in Mistralton?" White asked.

"There was a store by the Pokémon Center that sold them. It's apparently for a very limited time."

"Oh, okay. Well, thanks again." White signaled Black to sit with her as she sat on one end of the bench. "Let's talk, Black. It's been a while since we last saw each other."

Black sat beside her. But the moment he did, he noticed a few things about her. Were her eyes always so sharp and piercing? White looked at him, gave a warm smile, and proceeded to lick away at her Casteliacone. Black watched her carefully. It seemed that she was wearing some make up today. How very odd. He had never seen her wear them before, no matter how many times she appeared in front of potential customers. Realizing that he was staring at her, he tried to get her focus away from that fact before she noticed.

"So, Miss President, how'd the Battle Subway go?"

"Oh, it went okay, I guess," White replied. She seemed a little disappointed by the fact that Black's first question was related to battling. "I got far enough to battle those two creepy Subway Masters."

"Wow, really? That's incredible!" Black exclaimed. "So how do you like battling?"

"It's actually quite fun," White said with a smile. "I can see why a lot of people are into it." She suddenly took a deep breath. "Listen, Black… The reason why I called you over here…"

Recognizing her serious tone, Black stopped licking his Casteliacone. He looked at her and waited for her to continue.

"It's because I need you," White blurted out.

Black stared at her. "… What?"

"I – I mean… I'm going to make some changes to the BW Agency, and I really need your help," she added quickly.

"Okay… what kind of changes?"

White pulled out something from her bag and showed it to Black. The Unova Dex Holder looked at it and noticed that it was the layout of the new advertisement poster for BW Agency.

"_Turn your Pokémon into a star! Turn your Pokémon into a proficient battler! _... Huh, so you're going to train other people's Pokémon?"

"Well… not me. I don't think I'm ready for that." She looked at him and after a few seconds, spoke. "I was hoping that… you would lead that part of the BW Agency."

"Me?" '_So… if I say yes, then I get to stay as her employee, huh?_' "Sure, I guess. I'm still your employee, after all."

White grabbed his free hand with hers and gave him another smile. "Thank you so much. I'm sure we'll make a great team!" She let go of his hand and handed him another sheet. "Here, this is our schedule for today."

Black finished his Casteliacone and took the sheet. He glanced at his watch as he read. "So… there's an event in a couple of hours in the park about the new program, and…" Black froze as he tried to process the information. "… We're _leaving_ Unova afterwards?"

"Yes. We are," White said as she finished her Casteliacone.

"Miss President, you know I can't do that. I'm still in the middle of my quest to conquer the Pokémon League," Black said with a troubled look. "I'm really sorry, but I don't think I can go with you."

"I know that you'd like to challenge the Pokémon League as soon as possible," White started. "But this is an opportunity that you wouldn't want to miss or stall." She looked at Black's bag. "That device you were carrying around. It was something called the Pokédex, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"You see, I did some research on the Pokédex, and I found out that there are 13 others in other regions who have them, and every single one of them were involved in various cataclysmic events. They're supposedly very talented trainers who played the most important roles in defeating evil teams and foiling their plots."

"And what about them?" Black asked with an uninterested expression.

"Some of them have accomplished remarkable feats. One of them successfully gathered all 8 Gym Badges _and_ defeated two evil teams within 80 days, one of them won the Pokémon League at the age of 11, and-"

Black suddenly looked very interested. "Really?"

White smiled. '_Just as I thought…_' "Yes. And I was thinking… because you have a Pokédex too, they'll be very nice to you and maybe even teach you a few things. And maybe they could teach me to become a better trainer."

Black jumped to his feet. "Alright, then! Let's hurry up and get your scheduled event over with!" He looked over at White. "It's just the two of us, right?" The president nodded. "Alright then! Let's go!"

Black proceeded to run towards the park where the event was scheduled to take place. White followed and chose to believe that he sounded happy knowing that he would be going to another region with her and no one else. Relieved that everything had gone according to plan so far, she smiled and thought about what she was going to say in the event.

Two hours later…

Black stood near the set-up stage in the park, watching White promote her company. Quite a lot of people gathered in the park, as White had distributed the advertisements in populated areas around the city for a couple of days.

"… As I have said, the BW Agency will now start the training program!" White said through the microphone. "But as this is new to the company, we will need a few volunteers to lend us their Pokémon to test out the training process. If the training does not meet your standards, then we guarantee full refund!"

The crowd became noisy with discussion amongst themselves. White waited for a few seconds before she spoke.

"I will now answer any questions regarding the new program."

"Does this mean that the BW Agency will no longer continue the movie star program?" asked someone in the middle row.

White shook her head. "No, the BW Agency will continue with all of its previous programs and functions. The training program is an addition, not a replacement."

"Who will train the Pokémon?" asked someone in the front row.

"Ah, good question! Thank you for asking!" White exclaimed. She made a hand signal to someone off-stage and the screen behind her came to life. "Currently, two very talented and famous people have agreed to work with me on this program!" She glanced back at the screen and continued. "One is the current Gym Leader of Nimbasa City, the Shining Beauty, Miss Elesa!"

White then stepped to the side so that she wouldn't block the video screen. Elesa's recorded message played on screen and the audience murmured agreements and approvals amongst themselves.

"The other person should be very famous here in Mistralton," White said once the message ended. "She's the city's very own Gym Leader, Miss Skyla!"

The president looked up, and Black (along with everyone else) looked up as well. He could see a jet fly across the sky and pull off several loops and stunts, writing "BW Agency" with the canister filled with sky-writing powder.

The people in the audience started to talk amongst themselves, some astonished by the support of two Gym Leaders. Black simply looked on, wondering why he was leading the new department within the BW Agency when there were two Gym Leaders in it. He figured that they were not full-time employees of the agency. White waited until the crowd settled down before continuing.

"The two Gym Leaders have agreed to train the Pokémon in this program during their spare time and training sessions for Gym Battles. But as the program has just started, we will only accept a few Pokémon at first. Please register your Pokémon with my assistants if you wish to participate in the program. Thank you very much for attending the event!"

White bowed to the audience and turned to give the microphone and a new set of instructions to her assistants. Suddenly, the people in the audience started to shout and scream. The president turned to see what the commotion was about, and so did Black. They could see three Team Plasma grunts and 'their' Pokémon (Cryogonal, Maractus, Ferrothorn), glaring at everyone on the stage.

"Pokémon are not tools!" one of them yelled. "You should not use them for profit!"

One of the grunts pointed at White. "Kill her and liberate the Pokémon!"

At that instant, the Cryogonal launched a burst of Ice Shard while Maractus and Ferrothorn shot Pin Missile. The crowd of people gathered for the event started to panic and flee.

Black hastily tried to run towards the Plasma grunts in an attempt to stop them. But he couldn't make any progress thanks to the tidal wave of people fleeing. Instead, he found himself being pushed back.

On stage, White tried to get out of sight as fast as possible. She would fight back once she was off the stage and everyone else fled. Sure, there were three Plasma grunts, but she was sure that she could take them with Black. But unfortunately for her, she wasn't given the opportunity. Even as she was turning to run, a single Ice Shard stabbed into her side while two pins from the Pin Missile hit her just below the heart.

Black instantly froze as the girl crumpled to the ground. He snapped back into focus and started to run through the screaming horde of people when the three Plasma grunts started to move closer to her…

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Black roared as loud as he could possibly manage. One unfortunate person standing way too close to him started to run the other way, thus creating even more chaos.

White's assistants quickly rushed to her aid. The president was gasping for air but she still managed to send out her entire Pokémon team to defend herself. The team consisted of the Braviary borrowed from Black, Deerling which she caught on her own, and the Servine that… somehow ended up with her. White didn't like thinking about how she got the thing.

Black soon managed to fight his way through the horde of people and sent out his entire team to fight the Plasma grunts. He wanted to _destroy _them, but he couldn't focus. His eyes kept moving towards the stage, where White was. But luckily for him, several Flying types arrived and started to attack the Plasma grunts. Black looked at them and soon recognized them to as Skyla's.

The Mistralton Gym Leader was in the process of landing her jet when she thought she saw an Ice Shard being used. Since the event below was a strictly peaceful one, there was no reason for an attack. With her superior eye sight, the Gym Leader saw White collapse on the stage and assumed the worst. She hastily landed the jet (disregarding some safety procedures) and the moment the cockpit hatch opened, sent out her entire team to help.

Seeing Skyla's team fighting the Plasma grunts, Black got his team to assist while he rushed to White's side. She wasn't moving and her eyes were closed.

"Miss President!" he called. "Are you okay?"

"Black… … Pull… it out…" White gasped out.

Black looked at where she was pointing and could see a big shard of ice sticking out of her side.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes…"

Black looked around in panic and spotted one of White's assistants looking at his boss with a blank look.

"Hey, you!" Black called. "Go call an ambulance!" He then looked at the shard of ice and carefully grabbed it. White gasped and groaned as the slight movement tore her flesh. "Okay… here it comes… I'm really sorry, Miss President."

Black pulled on the shard of ice as hard as possible and with a loud ripping noise, the shard came loose. He then checked on White's condition and noticed that she was still conscious. White tried to say that she was okay, but couldn't. She noticed that she couldn't move or say anything. Black was asking whether she was okay, but there was no way she could answer. She could only stare and try to stay conscious as Black gently lifted her onto his arms.

"Hang in there, Miss President… you're going to be okay!" Black said reassuringly.

White couldn't tell whether his reassurance was directed at her or himself. Her eyes kept closing on their own, even as she tried to keep them open. Eventually, as she rested her head on Black's chest, she steadily lost consciousness.

…

White groaned as she opened her eyes. She seemed to be in a hospital of some sort… Well, that was understandable. She tried to sit up but felt excruciating pain from her side. As a result, she chose to remain lying on the bed. She then looked around the room to see if there was anyone there. She was all alone, but there was a chair pulled up close to her bed.

'_I wonder who was sitting here…_' White thought. '_Could it be Black?_' She looked around for her Xtransceiver so that she may check the time and date. Her eyes opened wide in shock when she saw the date. '_I've been out for a whole week?_' She groaned. '_A whole week wasted… I hope the vice president took over my company for the time being…_' With a sigh, she looked over at the chair pulled up beside her. '_There's no way Black would stay here… Knowing him, he definitely wouldn't waste a whole week…_'

As White pondered about what she was going to do as soon as she was cleared to leave the hospital, the door to her room opened. The president looked over and noticed that Black was in the doorway.

"Hey, Miss President! You're awake!" he said happily. He quickly walked over and sat on the chair beside the bed. "How are you doing? You okay?"

"… Black?" White muttered, her voice still hoarse. "I didn't think you would've stayed this long…"

"Oh, come on. I wouldn't leave you at a time like this!" Black said. "Only a complete bastard would do such a thing."

White smiled and started to laugh a little. She suddenly groaned and put a hand on her side. "Ow… it hurts to laugh…"

"Miss President, you need to take care of yourself," Black said.

"What happened after I… passed out?"

"Well, the three Plasma bastards got arrested… they'll be charged with attempted murder. There's no way out for them. There are hundreds of witnesses. And as for you, the two pins from Pin Missile hit and broke a rib but nothing else. The Ice Shard… punctured a lung. You'll heal, but not for a while." Black appeared very worried. "For the time being, you shouldn't do anything tiring. So you can't run or anything like that."

"So… what's going to happen?" White asked.

"I think you'll have to stay in the hospital for… at least two weeks, so… I'll stay with you until you're better. Then we'll think of what to do."

White looked at Black and stayed silent for a short while. "… Black, come close. I want to say something to you before anything else." When Black did as told, she simply reached over and kissed him.

"… Miss President, what…" Black stammered once the kiss ended.

"Listen… I… love you. I always have. That's the reason why I called you over to Mistralton and told you that we're going to another region by ourselves. I want to stay with you. As much as I like the idea of staying with you until I recover, I can't let you stay here for all that time. You have a goal, and I know how much you're looking forward to challenging the Pokémon League. So… I can't let you stay with me."

"But Miss President, I-"

"Unless," White interrupted. "… I could go with you. No, scratch that. I _will_ go with you. The jet I borrowed allows me infinite flights within a time span of a month, and considering our return flight, we should take it immediately."

"Miss President, you're still really hurt. You can't leave the hospital for at least a week," Black argued.

"No, I'll just consider this to be one of my training tests. I heard that a trainer needs to train him or herself equally as much as their Pokémon. I can't stay in a hospital for over a week just because of one injury. So Black, as your boss, I'm ordering you to book a flight scheduled to leave Mistralton later today. Preferably after dinner."

Black simply stared at her, wondering why she was acting so stubborn. A few seconds afterwards, he left her hospital room. Once he was out of the hospital, he sent out his Munna.

"Clear my head," he said. "I need to think…"

On her bed, White sighed. She didn't like sounding so… cruel and stubborn. But she felt that it was the only way to ensure that Black would stay with her. She was afraid that Black would leave her once he knew that she would eventually recover. She felt the ambush kiss helped a lot too.

Within an hour, Black returned. He sat on the chair beside the bed and looked at White. The president gave him an apologetic smile for ordering him around.

"So… did you book the flight?" she asked.

"No. I postponed it," Black answered. "The manager heard from the news that you were attacked by Team Plasma and generously postponed the one-month time frame to a later date."

"What? Why? How could you?" White demanded.

"Miss President, I think I know why you're acting like this," Black said abruptly. "You said you love me, and therefore you want the best for me. You don't want me to stall in challenging the Pokémon League. And in response to that…" Without warning, he reached over and kissed her. "I love you too, Miss President. And therefore, I want what's best for you. And the best for you is for you to stay here and recover. As your employee, I'll stay with you until you recover. Then, we'll book the flight and go to… wherever."

"W – Well, if you put it that way," White stammered. Her cheeks were flushed from embarrassment. "Then… okay. But what are you going to do in the meantime?"

"I'll train my Pokémon some more, and see what I can think of for that new battling program of the BW Agency. I'm still your employee, after all."

White smiled brightly. "Thanks Black. I feel much better now."

"Alright then, Miss President. You should get some rest. I'll be waiting just outside the room. Call me if you need me."

"Okay…"

Black held her hand for a few seconds before he let go and left the room. Outside, he took out his Munna's Pokéball and looked at it.

"Oh, what would I do without you?" he asked with a smile. "If you think I did something wrong to Miss President, let me know as soon as possible."

* * *

**Damn. This did not turn out nearly as well as I thought (the reason why SE took so damn long to update). But this chapter will be important in future SE/SR (non DHC) chapters where I may get **_**everyone**_** to meet. I find it odd that I'm writing about how Black and White will meet the others when (in actual Pokémon Special) Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum haven't even met their seniors yet.**

**Conclusion? No more Black & White until I feel I'm ready.**

**I have absolutely no idea what the thing used for sky-writing is called. I know there's a canister at the end of the plane that releases something to mimic exhaust plumes (or **_**something**_**) for sky-writing, but I just don't know what it's called.**

**Next up: Green & Blue… quite possibly the very last.**

**As of January 22, 2012 (which was a **_**while**_** ago), my profile has the latest news on all of my stories, whether they are complete or in progress. If you review a question, the answer (as long as it does not spoil anything) will appear in that section. The profile now has polls, some of which directly affects SA/SE/SR while some affect them in unexpected ways.**

**The current poll directly affects SE, and will last the duration of two more SE updates.**


	32. Accident

**Welcome to the (quite possibly) very last Green & Blue of SE. This chapter was supposed to be uploaded as SE #026, but the current SE #026 was completed first. Which means, this chapter was almost complete for… **_**quite**_** a while. This is the only reason behind the quick update. Rest assured, the next chapter hasn't started yet, therefore it's going to take a while to be uploaded. … … Yeah.**

**Primary: Green & Blue**

* * *

Accident:

Professor Oak's laboratory, Pallet Town…

Blue jumped off her Wigglytuff and landed a few meters away from the building. After returning her Pokémon, she stretched her tired limbs and walked towards the front door. She pulled out a small mirror from her bag and after checking her appearance, knocked.

There was no response, so she tried the door knob. The door was unlocked and Blue entered the lab. She locked the door behind her and wandered around, looking for Green.

"Green, are you in here?" she asked loudly, looking around.

"Not now, Blue. I'm busy," came the Gym Leader's voice from behind a door.

Blue walked towards it and she could hear some furious typing on a computer keyboard. The Kanto girl opened the door and inside the room, she could see Green and Crystal looking very busy and tired from research.

"Hi, Blue," Crystal said with a forced smile.

"What part of "I'm busy" did you not understand?" Green asked with a sigh.

Blue noticed the mess the room was in. Sheets of paper were scattered all around along with open books and notepads.

"You two look really tired," she said. "Mind if I help?"

"How are you going to help? You don't even know what we're researching," Green said.

"I know that. I mean… there's bound to be some menial work that I can do that would save you the trouble."

Green finished typing up something and took a glance at her. He pointed at a pile of paper and resumed his focus on the computer screen. "Look over there. There's a notepad with a year's worth of research notes that haven't been typed into a computer yet. Find it and type it."

Blue began to dig through the pile and before long, found the notepad. She scanned through the notes and noticed that it was the same notepad the Gym Leader had during the Dex Holder picnic.

"Hey, this is the same notepad you had in Mt. Moon Square," Blue said as she read the research notes.

"Yes. Be careful with it. My grandfather is presenting the results of the research in a conference in a week, and the contents of that notepad are very important."

"Don't worry about it," Blue said cheerfully. "I'll get the printed version over to you later today."

She headed out of the lab and read the research notes as she went. The notes were about Clefairies in Mt. Moon and went on to Moon Stones and possible relations to the Legendary Pokémon Cresselia. Blue found the notes to be very interesting and soon became lost in deep thought.

Outside the lab, Gold had arrived. He was looking for Crystal in Johto and heard from Professor Elm that the Johto girl was in Pallet Town. He had tried to call her, but she didn't pick up. So the goggled boy assumed that she was busy with work again and decided to wait. He sat on the grass beside the door with his Typhlosion and stared blankly into the sky. Suddenly, an idea occurred and he looked at the Typhlosion.

"Hey Explotaro, want to find out what happens if you hit a cloud with Flamethrower?"

The Typhlosion nodded and after taking aim, used Flamethrower. But the moment the attack was used, the goggled boy heard a loud shriek from behind. He looked in surprised and saw Blue down on the ground. Whenever a Typhlosion uses a Fire type attack, it ignites its collar on fire to charge up for the attack. This time, when Explotaro charged up for the Flamethrower, Blue had opened the lab door and had stepped outside, still lost in the research notes. As a result, she couldn't see the fire erupt from the Typhlosion's collar in time.

"Oh, sh*t…" Gold muttered. "Silver's going to kill me…"

He hastily ran to Blue's side and checked if she was okay. The Kanto girl sat up and quickly put out the small fire on her hat and the tip of her hair. Her face wasn't burnt as she managed to get out of the way of the fire just in time. Then she realized something and screamed.

"Oh no!"

"What's wrong?" Gold asked, sensing pending doom. If Blue was hurt, and it was his fault, then Silver (and quite possibly Green) would _probably_ try to bury him alive…

"The research notes!" she screamed out again. She frantically looked around and soon found the notepad. Well, what was left of it… She quickly put out the embers on the notepad, burning her fingers in the process. "Ow! … Oh, Green's going to kill me…"

Unfortunately for her, Green appeared in the doorway along with Crystal. They had heard the initial shriek and hastily came out to see what was wrong. Blue turned and saw Green glaring at her.

"You…" he growled out.

"G – Green, it… it was an accident," Blue stammered out. "I'm so sorry…"

Green grabbed her wrist and yanked her back to her feet. He then reached into his pocket and withdrew his Charizard's Pokéball. He sent the Pokémon out and pointed at Gold.

"Charizard, deal with him," he said through clenched teeth.

The goggled boy jumped in surprise. He looked over at Crystal, and noticed that she was simply staring at the charred remains of the notepad with a blank look.

"Uh… Crys?" he called as Charizard's shadow loomed over him. "… Help?"

Green dragged Blue around the corner of the lab with enough force that it hurt the girl's wrist and shoulder. The moment the two Johto Dex Holders were out of sight, Green struck Blue across the face with the back of his left hand with enough power to knock the girl off her feet. The girl looked at the Gym Leader with a surprised expression. She put a hand on her cheek as tears started to form in her eyes.

"I spent a whole year traveling around and taking notes on that notepad. Clefairies in Mt. Moon Square, Lunatones and Solrocks in Hoenn's Meteor Falls, Cresselia in Sinnoh and their possible relations with each other… and you burned the results of all that effort in a minute."

"I – I'm sorry. It was an accident…" Blue muttered out quietly.

"And I told you to be careful with it! Do you have any idea how important it is to my grandfather's presentation? Do you have any idea how long it's going to take to research all that again?" The Gym Leader let out a frustrated sigh. "Get out of here, Blue. And don't ever come back near the lab again. Who know what you'll burn next by _accident_."

Blue looked horrified. "But… It… it was an accident…"

"I said get out here!" Green yelled angrily.

From around the corner, Charizard was about to pummel Gold when it heard its trainer's voice. It turned to look in Green's direction with a worried look. Gold and Crystal looked surprised and they peeked around the corner to see what was happening. Crystal gasped in shock as she watched Blue run away. She hastily ran after her. Gold attempted to follow her, but Green grabbed him by the back of his shirt as he ran past.

"And where the hell do you think you're going?"

The goggled boy reached out towards Crystal while being dragged backwards. "Crys! HELP!"

Crystal ran after her senior as fast as she could, but it seemed that the Kanto girl was a lot faster than her… When Blue finally stopped running, she was already in Route 1. Crystal tried to catch her breath as she approached her senior. Blue was sitting on a patch of grass and was hugging her knees.

"Blue? Are you okay?" Crystal asked. Her senior turned to look at her and the Johto girl could see the damages. The front of Blue's white hat was charred black, the tip of her hair was also burnt, and there was a big noticeable red mark on her cheek. "Did… did he hit you?" Her senior didn't reply and simply looked away. The Johto girl sat beside her. "I'm sure he didn't mean it…"

Blue let out a shuddering sigh. "I don't know… I… I just wanted to help…"

"What happened?"

"I… I dropped by because I wanted to see if Green wanted to go to One Island with me… you know, go to the Treasure Beach and the hot springs and massage on Mt. Ember…" Blue wiped away a forming tear and sighed again. "But when I saw you and Green working so hard… I thought I could be of some help… On the way out, I was reading the notes and… it was interesting. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going… Gold was outside with his Explotaro, and…"

"Oh…" Crystal shook her head. "Only Gold would be stupid enough to use a Fire type attack near a building… especially near a door."

"See? This… this wasn't my fault!"

"What did Green say to you?" Crystal asked with a worried look. "You're acting a little weird."

"He… he told me to never to come near the lab again…" Blue started to sob. "How could he say such a thing?"

Crystal tried to think of a way to comfort her senior. Frankly, she had no idea what to do. She was used to comforting her juniors, but… not her senior… especially not Blue. The Kanto girl was the one who used to comfort _her_ whenever Gold drove her insane. The Johto girl decided to say whatever came to her mind first.

"I'm sure that he didn't mean it… he was just angry," she said in a comforting tone. "I'm sure he'll apologize to you once he calms down."

"I don't know… What would you do if Gold told you to stay away from New Bark Town?"

"He says it all the time," said Crystal. "Every time we fight, he always tells me to stay out of New Bark Town. But the very next day, or even later in the day, he's always there in front of my house, begging for forgiveness." Crystal figured that a little humor might cheer her senior, but it didn't seem to work.

"Crys… you should be happy that Gold rarely means what he says… (Crystal: "Happy?") Green always means what he says, and he told me to never to come near the lab. He's really angry with me if he was willing to hit me…" Blue wiped away her tears and rose to her feet. "Crys, you should go back to the lab… because of me, you and Green have even more work to do. If you don't go back soon, Green would get angry at you…"

"But…"

"And don't tell anyone about this," Blue said as she put a hand on her bruised cheek. "Especially Silver. I don't want to cause Green any more trouble."

Before Crystal could say anything else, Blue sent out her Wigglytuff and hopped on. The Johto girl had no choice but to obey her senior's order and return to the lab. But as she turned to return, Blue looked at her from above and withdrew something from her bag. She threw the tiny object with precision and the object landed in the pocket of Crystal's lab coat. Afterwards, Blue got her Wigglytuff to Fly away to the library in Celadon City.

When Crystal arrived at the lab, she could see Gold in the corner of a room, looking rather beaten. The goggled boy was in the push-up position, except that he was using his head to support himself off the ground. His arms were crossed behind his back. It was a standard punishment position that caused severe strain to the head and neck. The Johto girl had seen it a few times in movies. And to ensure that the goggled boy remains in the punishment position, Green's Charizard was watching.

"Gold?" Crystal called.

"… Crys… help me, or stay out of New Bark Town forever…" Gold groaned out.

"I'll talk to Green…" Crystal sighed as she opened the door to the room where Green was. Her senior was currently typing up two documents at once. "Green, we need to talk."

"It's nice of you to come back from your break," the Gym Leader said. "We have a lot more work to do right now."

"Don't you feel bad at all? I mean… Blue was only trying to help. Accidents happen. You didn't have to hit her and tell her to never to come back here again."

"Crystal, we don't have time to feel bad. Thanks to pesky girl, we have to redo a year's worth of research."

The Johto girl sighed as she returned to her post. "You really hurt her, you know…"

Green remained silent for a few seconds, and Crystal wondered if the Gym Leader was feeling sympathetic. "… So she can be hurt after all…"

An hour later, Celadon City…

Blue removed her headphones and put them in her bag. The object she threw into Crystal's pocket was a little audio bug that would hear everything Green and Crystal would say to each other. Blue intended to use whatever she heard to help undo the damage she caused. The only person who remembered the details of the contents in the burnt notepad was Green, and it was possible that he would discuss how to recreate the research notes with Crystal.

Blue took out her Pokégear and began to make calls. The first person she called was Platinum.

"Ah, senior Blue!" came the heiress's voice a few seconds later.

"Platinum, I need your help," Blue said. "It's urgent."

"Oh? How may I help?"

"Listen, I need you to research on Cresselia and its possible relations with other Pokémon. I'll call you for specific details later. Do you think you can do it?"

"Of course, senior. I shall do my best."

"And if anyone asks, don't tell them that I told you to do this, okay?"

Afterwards, Blue called Sapphire. Well, she was going to, but she remembered that the Hoenn girl doesn't have a Pokégear, so she contacted Ruby instead.

"You've reached Ruby. Remember, if you see me in a Contest, vote for me! Vote Ruby!"

"Ruby, this is Blue. I need you and Sapphire to do me a favor."

"Uh… alright. What is it?"

"I need you two to go to Meteor Falls and research on Lunatones and Solrock. I'll give you the specific details later."

"Meteor Falls? Okay…"

"Hey, Ruby! Who are you talking to?" came Sapphire's voice.

"It's Blue. She wants us to go to Meteor Falls!" came Ruby's answer. "What's this about, anyways?" he asked Blue.

"I'll tell you later. It's very urgent. And don't tell anyone else about this."

Blue hung up and after putting the headphones back on, proceeded to head to the library. She needed to research on Clefairies in Mt. Moon Square and their possible relations to the other Pokémon. As far as she could tell, the research was leading to the possibility of artificially creating Moon Stones and Sun Stones, depending on how the research with Solrocks goes.

Later that day, Pallet Town…

Crystal sat on the grass outside Professor Oak's lab, taking a short break. She was getting a headache from looking at papers and computer screens all day long, and as such, needed a break to rest her eyes.

Suddenly, she could see what appeared to be a Wigglytuff coming close from high in the air. Crystal realized that it belonged to Blue, and wondered why her senior had returned. But to her surprise, the Wigglytuff didn't land, but instead, flew straight over her. From high in the air, something fell off the Wigglytuff and landed right in front of the Johto girl. Crystal noticed that it was a folder in a plastic bag. She took the folder and looked inside. She could see roughly 10 sheets of paper stapled together, and a small note clipped with it. Crystal looked up and noticed that Blue had already left. She looked at the stapled pages and noticed that they were research notes. She then read the note.

_To Crystal…_

_Crys, I'm really sorry for creating more work for you. To make it up to you, I've been trying to recreate the lost research notes. I remember a little bit of the research from the short moment when I read it. As for the rest… let's just say that I put a sound transmitter in your lab coat pocket. Anyways, I'm giving you all the research I've recovered so far. Just say what you think of it, and I'll hear. Get Green to say the specifics of the lost research notes and I'll be able to recover them. And for now, don't tell him what I'm doing._

_From Blue_

Crystal looked surprised. She quickly took a look at the research notes.

"Wow… this is really good…" she muttered. "Blue, you should consider being a full time research assistant…" She put the notes in the big pocket in her lab coat and rose to her feet. "I'll try to get you the specifics. Oh, and I think Green is feeling bad about hurting you." Crystal then returned into the lab.

For the next few days, Crystal continuously received packages from Blue during her breaks, and thanks to the Kanto girl's best efforts (and her juniors who were helping her), the burnt research notes had been fully recovered within 5 days. The initial research took Green a whole year as he was all alone, traveling around various regions, and taking time to brainstorm further research ideas. Also, he didn't work on it 24 hours a day.

Next day, 1 day left until the presentation…

Blue rubbed her eyes and checked the notes she had been writing. Although the burnt notes have been recovered, there was still something she could do to help Green and Crystal. The Johto girl had sent her the completed research report, and Blue's job was to check for errors or flaw in logic. Crystal and Green had been working on the report for days, and as such, would not be able to point out structural errors as easily as someone new to it.

Blue checked over the report for the fifth time and took note of all the parts that felt a little odd. She checked the time; it was 9 pm. Crystal would be taking the last break of the day in 30 minutes, so the Kanto girl had to hurry. She quickly clipped the notes to the report and put the package in a folder. She put the folder in a plastic bag and quickly headed out of the Viridian Pokémon Center. She was about to send her Wigglytuff out when she saw Crystal and her Tupeon flying towards her. Before long, the Johto girl landed and Blue walked up to her.

"Crys, I'm glad you're here. I just finished checking over the report, and-"

The Johto girl noticed something strange about her senior's appearance. "Blue… when was the last time you slept?"

Blue thought for a second. "I don't remember. Wasn't this week, though. Anyways, I've read over the report 5 times and wrote down all the places where I feel needs to be clarified."

Crystal received the report package and examined her senior's face. The Kanto girl's eyes were bloodshot and had dark circles around them. She looked extremely tired… "Why didn't you sleep?"

"Well… in the day, I have to listen to what you and Green say, and in the night, I have research work to do. Anyways, take the report to Green, Crys. The presentation is tomorrow, right? Good luck."

Crystal wanted to say some more, but her senior kept telling her to go. She could tell that Blue's patience was running quite low, so she bowed to her senior and quickly headed back towards the lab. Blue headed back to the Pokémon Center and listened to the audio bug she planted.

Next day, 11 pm…

Green sat on the couch in Professor Oak's lab and let out a long sigh. "Great work, Crystal. We did it; if all goes as expected, we will be able to create Moon Stones with ease."

"Yes… I was a little nervous about the presentation though. I'm glad that it went smoothly."

Green suddenly appeared serious. "Now, we need to talk."

Crystal nodded. "About Blue, I assume?"

"Yes. Firstly, I don't care that she told you to keep quiet, but don't take credit for someone else's work."

The Johto girl gasped. "When did you…"

"Since the very beginning. I recognize Blue's writing style and yours. You can't fool me. Also, the papers suggest that you've been working all night, but you didn't look tired at all in the mornings. So, I knew that Blue was the one writing those notes and secretly handing them to you. The only question is how she managed to get the details, but I'll find out soon."

"So, does that mean that you're going to talk to her?" Crystal asked.

"Yes. Where is she?"

"Um… I don't know," Crystal said as she began writing something on a sheet of blank paper. She showed Green what she wrote.

_Blue planted a bug on my lab coat, so she can hear everything we say. The last time I checked, she was in Viridian City Pokémon Center. Go and surprise her._

Green nodded. "Very well then. I'll find her in the morning." He quietly rose to his feet and got ready to leave. "Crystal, you've been working very hard for the past week. Go home and rest. I'm sure Gold is waiting for you to return. So go and do whatever with him."

Crystal nodded. "He sent me a lot of messages, asking if I was done." She gave a short bow. "Well… good night, I guess."

Green nodded at her and left the lab. With his Charizard, he headed straight towards Viridian City's Pokémon Center. But when he arrived 15 minutes later, Blue wasn't in the Pokémon Center. As a result, the Gym Leader searched the nearby café.

Upon entering the café, he could see Blue sitting on a seat in the corner, dozing off. He approached her and she moved slightly, as if she was trying to stay awake.

"Don't you know what happens if a girl like you falls asleep in the corner of a public café near midnight?" he asked as he sat in front of her.

Blue snapped awake and looked at Green. It took her tired brain a few seconds to register everything going on.

"Oh, hi, Green. Um… no, I don't know what happens. Do you?"

"I'd assume something bad. Now come, we're going home."

The Viridian Gym Leader rose to his feet and left the café, with Blue following. Blue tried to shake herself awake but it didn't do much. She was still _really_ tired.

"Listen, Green," she started as an effort to snap awake. "I just want to tell you that I'm sorry."

Green sighed. He turned to look at Blue and seeing how… tired and distressed she looked, he felt a pang of guilt (a rare, _rare_ occurrence).

"No, it's not your fault that the research notes got burnt," he said slowly. "It was that idiot Gold's. And even if it was partially your fault, you made up for it by recovering the lost notes."

"Did Crys tell you?"

"No. I recognize your writing style from all the notes you wrote and the one instance a few years ago when I saw your diary entries. You did a really good job."

"… About what you said," Blue started with a sigh.

"About what I said," Green interrupted. "I take it back. You are welcome to come into the lab any time you wish. At that time, I was just angry and I admit I was quick to blame you. It's not your fault. Gold, however, is not allowed to enter Pallet Town for two months." He took a few steps closer and put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm really sorry for hitting you. That was uncalled for."

Blue suddenly hugged him. She let out a content sigh. "I'm just happy that things are back to normal between us…"

Green gave her a warm smile (an occurrence that's harder to see than finding a shiny Pokémon in the wild). Without warning, he kissed her. It was a very surprising move, but for Green, it was all calculated… Blue looked very surprised, but soon accepted what happened. Her eyes closed on their own as she enjoyed the kiss, and before long, she fell asleep due to the warm embrace, relief that everything was okay, and the fatigue built up from a week of restless researching.

Once the girl was fast asleep, the Gym Leader gently lifted her onto his back and took her to his house where she would be able to rest.

Next day, 2 pm…

Blue opened her eyes and looked around, wondering where exactly she was. Then, having remembered the events of last night, sat up. She remembered everything, including the abrupt kiss. … Did it actually happen? It felt so… dreamy… Blue glanced at the clock. A 15 hour sleep wasn't bad, considering that she hadn't slept for a week. She was refreshed, although she still felt a little dizzy. She got off the bed and after a stretch, headed downstairs.

"Green?" she called once she arrived at the living room.

"Not now, Blue. I'm busy," came the Gym Leader's voice from the kitchen.

Blue headed towards the kitchen and she could see Green making lunch. "Good morn… um… _afternoon_, Green," she said with a smile.

Green sighed. "What part of "I'm busy" did you not understand?"

"Aw, don't be like that. Especially after last night," Blue said with a grin.

"Last night, I said I was sorry for hitting you and telling you to stay away from the lab. I don't recall saying anything about telling you to go away when I'm busy," Green remarked.

"Come on, after that kiss…"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Blue," Green said with a sigh. "You were pretty groggy yesterday. You fell asleep when you randomly decided to hug me, and whatever you think happened after that was a dream."

Blue sighed, unable to stifle her disappointment. She sat by the dinner table and sighed again. "Right… I should've known that you wouldn't do anything like that… Not to me, anyways."

"Here, eat," said the Gym Leader as he set a plate filled with food in front of Blue. "It was supposed to be my lunch, but I'm sure you'll need it more."

Blue stared at it, wondering what it was. But she knew that the Gym Leader was a decent cook, so she chose to eat it without asking anything.

"What are you going to eat?" Blue asked as she lifted her utensils.

"I think I'll buy Crystal lunch. She did an excellent job in researching and compiling the report in the past week, so she deserves a treat."

Blue poked at her food and watched Green leave. Once he left, she began to think about the events of last night. Suddenly, a thought occurred. Green was a little quick in denying the kiss and jumping to conclusions. Normally, he would've stared at her for a few seconds and say "What the hell?" or something along those lines. Blue smiled and started to laugh. So the kiss _did_ happen. So he _does_ like her… She wished that he would just admit it like Diamond (or Gold, for that matter), but oh well.

Feeling happy for the first time in a long while, she ate a spoonful of food. It was… spicy. Blue hated spicy food more than anything else. She groaned. That jerk Green knew that she hated spicy food, and that was why he was so quick to leave… But unfortunately, she was starving, and there was nothing else to eat. So she had no choice but to eat what she was given. Grumbling, she ate disdainfully, planning on giving the Gym Leader hell once he came back. It wouldn't be that bad, considering what happened last night, but still…

* * *

**Once again, remember the last MISC. I doubt a person is capable of staying awake for seven days straight, and… I don't know what happens when one doesn't sleep for that long (I expect a lot of bad stuff though). So, IGNORE THEM!**

**Next up: don't know. Partially depends on the results of the current poll. If the poll's result is Gold & Crystal, then the next SE chapter won't be a Gold & Crystal (the burst will start in two chapters).**

* * *

What Could Have Been (didn't know where to put this part):

"How did you get research notes on Lunatone, Solrock, and Cresselia, anyways?" Green asked.

"Oh… I got Ruby, Sapphire, and Platinum to help," Blue replied. "… For five days straight."

"And who are they blaming?"

"Gold, of course. I told them that it was all his fault. I heard that Platinum had to cancel a date with Dia because she was so tired," Blue said. "And I told Silver of what Gold did to me, even though that was an accident. So as things stand, Silver, Ruby, Sapphire, Dia, and Platinum _all_ hate Gold. Of course, you and I don't really like him either after what happened, and I'm sure Crys is going to give him hell about making her work so hard, which will then make Emerald rather upset. And I'm pretty sure that Pearl's not happy about Dia and Platinum's date being cancelled, so… basically every Dex Holder except Red and Yellow hate him at the moment."

Green smirked. "Poor bastard…"


	33. The Outside World

**The direct sequel of SE #022: Rescue.**

**Primary: Diamond & Platinum.**

* * *

The Outside World:

Platinum watched with interest as Diamond showed her the basics of making a fruit cake. She stayed far away from the knife used to cut the fruits, as she had been attacked with a pair two months ago, and had accidentally cut herself with it (a minor cut) the previous day while attempting to cook. The only thing the heiress did to help in completing the cake was placing the fruits on the icing.

"The cake looks wonderful, Diamond," Platinum said with a bright smile. "I wish to learn more. Could you come over tomorrow as well?"

"Uh… sure, Lady. But I think it'll be much easier for you to learn in a simple kitchen, like the one in my house," Diamond said.

Platinum suddenly looked troubled. "Um… I – I do not think I am ready to leave my home…"

"Take your time, Lady. When you think you're ready, we'll take it one step at a time."

Platinum sighed. "You must think I am pathetic… Pearl certainly thinks so. It had been two months, and I still cannot leave my home."

"No, no. I understand this kind of thing takes time."

As Diamond and Platinum continued to talk, the old butler Sebastian entered the (massive) kitchen.

"My Lady, Sir Gold and Lady Crystal are here to see you," he said after a polite bow.

"Ah, thank you. Please tell my seniors to wait a little longer."

Platinum and Diamond quickly washed their hands and went to greet their seniors a minute later. Gold and Crystal were standing outside the kitchen, looking at the various art on the walls. The two Johto Dex Holders saw their juniors and waved at them. Diamond waved back and Platinum bowed.

"Seniors, I apologize for making you wait."

"It's okay," Crystal said with a warm smile. "I really like coming here. "Lady Crystal"… I just love hearing that."

Gold grinned. Looks like he would have to do something about that…

"Seniors, it was my understanding that you were in Snowpoint City. What brings you here?"

"We're here to make you face your fears," Gold answered.

Crystal scowled at him for being so damn blunt. "Sorry, Platinum. But we really think it's time you overcame your fears. You missed out on quite a few Dex Holder meetings and events."

Platinum looked over at Diamond, wondering if he knew of this. Diamond seemed equally surprised. Before the heiress could say anything, Gold dragged her away from the kitchen and towards the front door. Platinum tried to stall, but to no avail. There was a moveable chair in front of the door and Gold forced her to sit here. Crystal opened the door and Pearl was standing in the doorway.

"Finally," he said with an aggravated look. "Miss Lady, this is how we're going to do this. You're going to say a number that best suits the way you're feeling. 0 if you're perfectly calm and normal, and 10 if you're about to go crazy from nervousness and such."

"Um… okay. I believe I am at 1 at the moment."

Crystal started to push the chair forward, with Gold, Diamond, and Pearl surrounding the chair to give Platinum the idea that she's perfectly protected. The heiress shut her eyes the moment she was outside. The sun was a little too bright… Also, she had just taken her first step (well, not step) out of her mansion in months.

"2…" she muttered.

"It's okay, Platinum," Gold said as he took the lead. "I'll narrate to let you know what's happening."

"Gold, that's not necessary. It's not like she's blind," Crystal said from behind, but the goggled boy ignored her.

"The sun is bright. There is no wind," Gold started. "It's getting a little hot, and there are some kids by the street, playing with a ball dangerously close to the road, as if tempting their fate." He grinned as he continued his 'helpful' narration. "Oh? There's a guy hiding in the trees!"

"5… 5…" Platinum muttered.

"Oh wait, that's just a Starly."

"3…"

"There's a guy coming right for us!" Gold yelled.

"8! 8!"

"Now he's going away from us!"

"Gold! That's just a guy jogging!" Crystal yelled from behind.

"6…" Platinum muttered as she looked around fearfully.

Diamond grabbed onto her hand. "It's okay, Lady. Nothing's happening. And even if something unexpected happens, we're here."

Platinum smiled at him and steadily stopped trembling. "4… 3… 2."

Diamond let go of her hand now that she was calm. But the moment he did, Platinum started to mutter higher numbers.

"3… 4! 6!"

Diamond quickly grabbed her hand again and sighed in relief when the numbers started to decrease. He looked at her and noticed that she seemed very distressed.

"Maybe we should stop," he said to Crystal.

"This is for her own good," she said with a sigh. "We can't wait forever. She needs to start facing her fears." She glanced over at Gold and sighed again. "I knew I shouldn't have brought him here… he's not helping at all…"

"All is quiet and…" Gold trailed off. "Wait… what the hell is that?"

"5… 6!"

"That buzzing noise… it's coming closer!" Gold yelled.

"7! 9!"

"There must be a hive of either Beedrill or Combees and Vespiquen nearby. Don't worry, I'll set it on fire!" Gold said as he sent out his Typhlosion. "Come, Explotaro!"

Gold ran ahead with the Typhlosion and disappeared into the small forest nearby. As people started to gather to watch the commotion, Platinum started to hyperventilate.

"Take me back! Take me back!" she cried between breaths. "10! 10! 10!"

Crystal swiveled the chair around and started to push it back towards the Berlitz mansion. As Diamond and Pearl followed, Gold ran past them, having accomplished nothing except pissing off all the inhabitants of the now-ablaze hive.

"RUN!" he yelled as a large cluster of Combees chased him.

Platinum shut her eyes and put her hands over her ears as she shouted out increasing numbers.

"13! 17! 43! 141421356…"

Once the five Dex Holders were back in the mansion, Diamond gently helped Platinum off of her chair and led her towards the cushioned seats in the waiting room. Pearl paced around, thinking of what to do, while Crystal gave Gold a hell of a reprimand for making everything worse.

Pearl suddenly snapped his fingers, as a _brilliant_ idea occurred. Platinum probably wouldn't think so, but it was for her own good. The hasty Dex Holder walked up to Diamond.

"Hey, Dia, I forgot to tell you. Your mom wants you back home."

"Why?" Diamond asked.

"I don't know. She didn't tell me."

Diamond looked back and forth between Pearl and Platinum, wondering what he should do. If his mother called him back home but sent Pearl, then it probably wasn't urgent. Seeing Platinum's utterly distressed look, he didn't want to leave either.

"You know, when your mother asks you to return, that generally means that she needs your help with something around the house. So you should probably get going," Gold said from behind, unknowingly helping Pearl.

Diamond sighed but nodded. "I'm really sorry, Lady," he said as he looked at Platinum. "But I have to go back."

"No… Diamond, please stay," Platinum begged.

"Always listen to your mother," Crystal said from behind. "No matter how… _weird_ they may be to you."

"Sorry, Lady," Diamond said again as he rose to his feet. Platinum grabbed onto him and he had no choice but to gently pull himself away.

Once Diamond left, Platinum curled up into a ball and started to rock back and forth. While Gold stood with a blank expression, Crystal went up to Pearl.

"Okay, so why did you send Dia out of here?" she asked. "I know his mother didn't call for him, otherwise she would've just called him on his Pokégear."

"Well, I'm thinking that we use a more… drastic measure to cure Miss Lady," the hasty Dex Holder replied. "Dia definitely wouldn't support this plan, which is why I sent him out."

"What do you have in mind?"

"First, we force Miss Lady to go to Dia's house in Twinleaf. We can do that by… well, basically tying her up to a Pokémon capable of flying, and sending it to Dia's house. And I guess I'll do that. She'll hate me for a while, but once she gets over her fears, she'll see that it was necessary. Then once we're at Dia's house, you and Gold should pretend to leave, thus leaving only me, Dia, and Miss Lady in the house. Then you and Gold will dress up as home invaders or something and pretend to attack me and Dia. Once we pretend to be knocked out, Miss Lady will have no choice but to stand up to you, thus overcoming her fears!"

"That sounds like a poorly thought-out plan," Crystal said as she slowly shook her head.

"Do you have a better idea?" Pearl asked.

Crystal sighed. "… Let's do it."

Two hours later, Twinleaf Town…

Diamond opened the door to his house and entered. "Mom, I'm home!" he called. Instead of a reply, all he got was Platinum suddenly running up to him. "Lady? What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

The heiress simply hugged him and cried onto his neck. "I – It was horrible…"

Pearl soon appeared in his sight. "Hey, Dia. Uh… in case you're wondering, your mom's actually not here. She let us in and then went to Jubilife City to shop."

Everything fell into place and Diamond looked at Pearl with disbelief. "So… my mom didn't actually need my help. You only lied to me so you could _kidnap_ the Lady and bring her here?"

"More or less… Dia… no, Diamond, come here. There's something we need to discuss. Leave Miss Lady there."

Diamond followed his friend after comforting Platinum for a short while. He listened intently as the hasty Dex Holder began whispering his plan.

"But… wouldn't that hurt the Lady more?" Diamond asked worriedly. "I mean… I want her to overcome her fears as quickly as possible so we can go to places again, but your plan sounds like it'll just hurt her and make things worse."

"Come on, Dia. Situations like this require drastic measures."

"Well… fine. But if I think she's too distressed, I'm going to stop the whole thing."

"Of course."

A few minutes later, the door (that was unlocked by Pearl) opened and two masked people entered. Diamond and Platinum were currently in the living room, so Pearl went to meet the home invaders. The two invaders raised their masks, revealing themselves as Gold and Crystal.

"Is everything ready?" Crystal asked.

"Yeah, we're all set," Pearl answered. "But first…"

The hasty Dex Holder simply collapsed on the ground to pretend as if he's been knocked out. The two Johto Dex Holders stepped over their junior and entered the living room. To give the impression that they were hostile, they knocked over every non-fragile thing they could see (such as chairs, tables with nothing on them, etc).

Platinum screamed in fear as she hastily ran over to the other side of the room. She stayed as far away as she could from the home invaders as Diamond went up to fight them. The heiress watched in horror as her boyfriend got stabbed by one of the home invaders and dragged out of the living room.

"No, no, no! Diamond!"

Crystal dragged Diamond over to where Pearl is and let the relaxed Dex Holder lie on the floor. Gold had 'stabbed' him (a weak punch to the stomach while pretending to hold something small), so as far as Platinum knew, he was either dead or dying.

"This was not a part of the deal!" Diamond whispered.

"Well, change of plans," Pearl said with a grin. "Now stay quiet. Miss Lady thinks you're dead."

Crystal walked into the living room and could see that Platinum was crying in the corner with her face buried in her hands. Gold looked as if he didn't know what to do next. He attempted to 'attack' her, but the moment he took a step forward, Platinum shrieked and cried more sorrowfully.

Gold rubbed the back of his neck, wondering what he should do. Deciding to force the heiress to defend herself, he reached forward and grabbed her by the hair. But all he did was make her start trembling. He didn't know, but he was repeating the exactly the same steps Platinum's kidnappers took when they attacked her. They first stabbed the gardener nearby, then they cornered the heiress and then grabbed her hair before hurting her.

Pearl looked into the living room and saw Platinum too scared to do anything. '_This isn't going according to plan…_'

Diamond looked as well, and upon seeing the heiress, he tried to go and help. Pearl quickly grabbed him and put a hand over his mouth to prevent him from saying anything.

"Pearl, do something!" Diamond whispered after moving his friend's hand.

"Relax, Dia. It's just like the time she first learned to ride a bicycle," the hasty Dex Holder whispered back. "Miss Lady responds to shocking and maybe insulting motivations."

"… What?"

"Watch." Pearl crawled to the entrance of the living room while pretending to be hurt. "Damn it, Miss Lady!" he yelled out. "Do something! Dia's dying here!"

"I – I cannot…" Platinum cried out.

"Come on, Miss Lady!" Pearl yelled again. "You can't be _this_ weak and pathetic!"

Platinum seemed to have been greatly affected by the words and she snapped into focus. '_He is right… I must be strong! For Diamond…_' She clenched her teeth and swatted the home invader's hand away. She summoned up as much courage and strength she could possibly manage and kicked him between the legs as hard as she could.

Gold groaned as he dropped to the floor. "Ow, son of a b-"

"It… worked, but maybe a bit too much…" Pearl muttered from afar as he watched Platinum lunge towards Crystal.

"Whoa, wait!" Crystal tried to say, but her junior had already kicked her in the stomach and proceeded to punch her in the face. She tried to block, but the wind had been knocked out of her due to the unexpected kick and thus she couldn't move in time. The punch hit her in the right cheek, but it hurt a _lot_ more than it should, thanks to the large diamond ring on the heiress's left hand. Crystal collapsed on the floor beside Gold and Platinum began to kick them.

"Miss Lady, stop!" Pearl yelled as he hastily ran over to the heiress.

"Pearl?" Platinum said between breaths. "A – Are you okay?" Before Pearl could answer, she saw Diamond behind him and quickly ran to him. "Diamond!" But seeing how the relaxed Dex Holder wasn't hurt at all, Platinum appeared confused. "What is going on?"

Crystal groaned as she sat up. She took her mask off and felt around her cheek. There was a big cut there, caused by the diamond ring. "Ungh… Gold, are you okay?"

"No…" the goggled boy groaned out.

Platinum gasped in shock. "Senior Gold? Senior Crystal? The two attackers were… you?"

"Gold… let's get out of here," Crystal said. "Let Dia and Pearl explain things…"

Two days later, Pallet Town…

"You did WHAT?" Blue yelled at Gold and Crystal. It seemed that Diamond had told her of what the two Johto Dex Holders did in Twinleaf…

"We… um… tried to help Platinum," Crystal replied quietly while keeping her head down.

"Yeah. I thought it went pretty good," Gold added. "Except for the part where she… kicked me."

"You IDIOTS!" Blue yelled. "You only made things worse!" She glared at Crystal. "Crys, I thought you were smarter than that!"

"… Sorry…"

"So the thought of asking _me_, the only one with experience in overcoming phobias, for help didn't occur at all?"

"You were… um… with Green at the time," Crystal mumbled out. "I know how much you were looking forward to it, so… I… um… thought I could help instead…"

"The only thing you fools managed to do was make Platinum hate you! Now it's going to be a lot harder to help her cure her phobia!"

"So what are you going to do?"

"_I'll _go and help her. Who knows what'll happen if I send you two idiots again."

Crystal bowed as her senior flew away on her Wigglytuff. Once she was gone, the Johto girl sighed and glared at Gold.

"Thanks a lot, Gold. Now I'm a part of "you idiots"."

Two weeks later, Twinleaf Town…

Diamond prepared to leave his home so he could visit Platinum again. He heard that Blue had 'kidnapped' the heiress to help her get over her phobia and that the heiress had returned the previous day. He wanted to know how Platinum was doing right now, which was why he was going to visit her. But the moment he opened the door and stepped outside, he collided into Platinum, who was just about to knock on the door. Her head hit him on the chin and both Sinnoh Dex Holders took a step backwards to recover from the collision.

"Ow. Lady, are you okay?" Diamond asked as he rubbed his chin.

"Yes, I am fine," the heiress replied as she placed her hands on her forehead.

"Uh… Lady, how did you get here?" Diamond asked after a second of thought. "Did someone kidnap you here again?"

"No, I came here on my own will."

"Really? How?"

"Senior Blue helped me to quickly overcome my fears of the outside world. The 12 days I had with her were frightening and horrible, but they were effective."

"Does that mean we can go to places now?"

"Yes." Platinum smiled and suddenly bowed to him. "Thank you, Diamond. You are the only one who had shown me unrelenting support through my difficult time. I can honestly say that the two months I had with you in my home were very comforting only because you were there."

"It's okay, Lady. I did what I could to make you comfortable. What about Gold, Crystal, and Pearl though? Did you forgive them?"

"Yes. What they did was awful, but they were only trying to help. I cannot believe that Pearl came up with such a terrible idea, and I also cannot believe that senior Crystal agreed to it. But once again, they were only trying to help. I invited them over to my home so that we can have a feast celebrating my recovery. I hope that you can attend as well."

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it! When is it?"

"It is in 3 days."

"No problems, then." Diamond stepped aside to open the doorway. "So… I was actually going to visit you, but since you're here, why don't you come in? Let's make cake. I'm getting hungry."

Platinum gave him a warm smile. "You are always hungry, Diamond. I am eager to learn more about cooking, and perhaps the smaller kitchen can teach me the basics much better than at my home." She took a few steps towards him and hugged him. "Again, thank you Diamond. The outside world is very scary, but if you are there with me, I have nothing to fear."

* * *

**Could you imagine a Beedrill hive? A hive of a huge cluster of bees that are a meter tall… with 3 huge stingers… Stay the hell away from there!**

**The current poll's results are in the SE category of the News section on my profile.**

* * *

Post Ending:

3 days later, Sandgem Town…

Gold and Crystal waited just outside Platinum's reading room as the old butler entered to tell the heiress of their presence. While waiting, Crystal noticed that Gold was grinning and occasionally coughing to appear casual.

"What's so funny, Gold?" Crystal asked.

"Oh, nothing," the goggled boy replied.

"If this is about Platinum kicking and punching me… it was just a few hits. I wasn't ready and she was… desperate."

"No, she was kicking your ass, and you couldn't do anything about it! But seriously, I wasn't laughing or anything like that."

It was obvious that he was lying, so Crystal was about to ask again when she heard the old butler announcing to Platinum inside the room.

"My Lady, the Great Amazing Master Gold and Super Serious Gal are here to see you."

* * *

**Now review, please. For all of SE, SA, SR, and quite possibly the 4****th ****S, follow the 4Rs. Read chapter, Review chapter, Read profile news, Repeat.**


	34. Solar Eclipse

**The second Gold & Crystal burst has begun!**

**MISC: Mechanics 3. This was supposed to be in the last chapter (as advertised in SA), but I forgot about it like an idiot… So it's here now, completely devoid of explanations for the sake of space. They will appear in the News category of my profile page if people have issues with the MISC below.**

**Mechanics 3: Pokémon and Moves. In SE/SA/SR, any non-Mew Pokémon will be able to use a Move if it has ever been able to through normal means of all 5 Generations. Mew will be able to use any Move, regardless of game compatibility, but with other Legendaries' special Moves at half power to make the actual users feel special. HMs are stupid; ignore them. Sketch copies a Move for temporary moments, just like Mimic, Copycat, etc. Mirror Move is a one-time only Move that uses whatever the opponent uses, similar to Me First. Glitches will be ignored for obvious reasons. Metronome and Assist Moves will be at half power but function like they do in the games. Dive will be Relicanth-only (and Kyogre too) for the time being.**

**I think that's about everything. Anyways, this is the third chapter of SE with two short one-shots. Previous ones being SE #008 and SE #020. But it's also completely different than the predecessors…**

**Primary: Gold & Crystal.**

* * *

Solar Eclipse – Crystal:

"Gold, hurry up! You're going to miss it!"

"Super Serious Gal, it's impossible to miss an event that darkens an _entire region_!"

Crystal rolled her eyes in exasperation and waited. The total solar eclipse was going to occur soon, and her idiot boyfriend was still in her house, drinking soda… the soda Crystal originally had planned to serve to the orphans at Earl's Academy during a field trip. She sighed and looked into the special viewing aid she made just for the occasion. She could see the moon moving ever so slowly to completely cover the sun. It was currently at a partial eclipse, but totality was going to occur very soon.

"GOLD!"

"Alright! Alright! I'm coming!"

The goggled boy finally came out to the balcony and Crystal glanced at him. To her surprise, Gold wasn't carrying anything. He was simply staring at the sky, squinting and casting a shadow over his eyes with his hand. It appeared as if he was trying to figure out a way to look at the total eclipse without hurting his eyes. He was even trying to look at the sun while casting a shade over his eyes, which clearly was not going to work.

"… Gold, where's your viewing aid?" Crystal asked. "You can't look at a total solar eclipse with the naked eye without consequence."

"Oh…" Gold muttered. "Perhaps you should've told me that a lot sooner."

"I did tell you! Earlier today when I told you to come here!"

"… Oh…"

Crystal sighed. She glanced into her viewing aid one last time before she gave it to Gold. "Here. Use mine then."

"Huh? What about you, then?" Gold asked as he received the homemade tool.

"There'll be another time," Crystal replied sadly.

"Well… thanks, Crys."

Gold looked into the tube of the homemade solar eclipse viewer. Crystal cast a shade over her eyes and looked away from the sun + moon. Just as she looked down, the whole world seemed to be getting darker.

"And we have totality…" Crystal muttered out.

"Whoa. This looks so damn cool!" Gold yelled out.

Crystal tried her best to continue staring at the boring-as-hell floor of her balcony. But eventually, she gave in to curiosity. She decided to take a brief, brief look.

"I can't miss an opportunity like this," she whispered to herself as she looked up.

Instantly, the uncommon natural phenomenon took her breath away. It was absolutely beautiful and the visible solar flares and other hidden occurrences caused her to forget about looking away in time. Within a few seconds, the moon's positioning no longer blocked out the sun completely and the first light hit Crystal's eyes hard…

Three hours later…

Gold slowly led Crystal out of the Violet City hospital. According to the doctors, the first light of the sun had damaged Crystal's retinas and she would have to rest them for two weeks in order to recover. As a result, the Johto girl had thick bandages wrapped over her eyes to prevent any light from entering.

"Hey Crys, you doing okay?" Gold asked as he let go of Crystal's hands.

"No, no! Where'd you go?" Crystal asked as she outstretched her arms and tried to grab onto him again. "Come on, Gold! This isn't funny!"

"Actually, it is a little," Gold said from somewhere. "All this time, you always said that I was of no help to you. But here you are, completely helpless. And it's up to me to help you out."

"Gold, come on! Stop being such a jerk!" Crystal swung her hands around so that she wouldn't run into any obstacles. But as she turned, she collided into a street lamp. "Ow!"

"Are you hurt?" came Gold's rather amused voice from somewhere.

"Just my pride…" Crystal replied. "I feel like an idiot running into street lamps."

"Tell you what, Crys. If you can find me, I'll help you out."

Crystal felt something touch her hand and she grasped it. It felt like a handle of some sort… She investigated it with her other hand and realized that it was Gold's fully extended billiard cue. Crystal grabbed onto the handle hard and used the tip of the cue to tap the ground below. With the cue, she explored directly ahead. The tip soon hit something quite soft compared to the ground. It felt like leather or rubber. Crystal moved the cue left and right and felt something similar to the left of the obstacle. She smiled. She knew what the cue was touching. She moved the tip of the cue to the middle of the two similar obstacles and without warning, lifted the tip as fast and hard as she could until it came to a sudden stop.

Crystal had concluded that the two similar obstacles were actually Gold's shoes. So when she raised the tip of the indestructible billiard cue between the goggled boy's feet, the tip of the cue struck him right where it hurts the most. Upon hearing Gold groan in pain, Crystal started to laugh.

"It looks like I found you, jerk."

"Not fair," Gold groaned out. "I was only kidding around…"

Crystal huffed in indignation. "_I_ wasn't kidding." She began to tap her way forward with the billiard cue. "At any rate, I don't need you anymore, Gold. Emerald and Platinum are working at Earl's Academy. They'll help me for sure." She started to walk but stopped a few steps later. She turned around to face Gold's direction. "… Where's Earl's Academy?"

"Crys, I'm over here," came Gold's voice from the right.

Crystal quickly adjusted her position accordingly. '_Damn it… how embarrassing…_' "Right. Well? Where's Earl's Academy?"

"That's a good question," Gold said as he took a look around. "I've never been there to my recollection, so I have no clue."

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Crystal exclaimed. She swung the billiard cue around in an attempt to hit Gold, but missed.

Gold quickly grabbed her hand and tried to calm her down. "Come on, Crys. I'll take you home."

"Go away, Gold. You're never any help."

Crystal fell silent when he suddenly decided to kiss her. "Aw, don't be like that, Crys. You know I'll take care of you when you need help. And if I don't, you can beat the hell out of me with my cue."

"Deal." Crystal grinned. "So, does this mean that you'll have to do whatever I tell you to?"

"I guess. But I know you won't abuse that pow-"

"Good. The moment we get home, you're going to get me a glass of water. Then you'll have to make me dinner, and it had better be good. Then afterwards, you're going to have to do the dishes. And call Platinum over. She's going to have to do my research report for me."

"… So you _are_ going to abuse the power?" Gold muttered out.

"Oh, _maliciously_. This is going to be _so_ much fun." Crystal reached forward and her fingers soon made contact with Gold's face. She felt around a little and after a few seconds, reached over and kissed him on the mouth. "But don't worry so much, Gold. I'll reward you."

Gold grinned. "Well then, let's get going!"

* * *

**The second part is here!**

* * *

Solar Eclipse – Gold:

"Hey, Crys! You want to hurry the hell up?"

"Just a minute, Gold! Besides, it's basically impossible to miss an event that darkens an entire region!"

Gold simply shrugged and stared into the homemade viewing aid specially made for the eclipse. Well, Crystal made it for him, as he had absolutely no idea how to make one. From the projected image, he could see the moon slowly moving to cover the sun completely. And apparently, the moment before and after the 'totality' was dangerous for the naked eye.

Gold turned around and could see Crystal finally coming out. But she looked rather sad and was empty handed.

"Hey Crys, where's your… whatever this thing's called?" Gold asked as he pointed at his homemade tool.

"Emerald has it," Crystal answered with a sullen expression.

"Why?"

"Some of the orphans at Earl's Academy broke their viewing aids. I tried to remake as many as I could, but there's not enough time. I managed to replace all of them except Emerald's, so… I just gave him mine."

"Couldn't you have just told them to share?" Gold asked.

"I could have, but… no. A total solar eclipse is an extremely rare but beautiful occurrence. If I make the orphans share, that'll hinder their once-in-a-lifetime experience. I can't let that happen."

With a sigh, Crystal cast a shade over her eyes and stared at the floor of the balcony. Gold looked at her and glanced at his solar eclipse viewer. After a short moment of thought, he put the tool in front of Crystal's eyes.

"Here, Crys. Use mine then. Well, it was technically yours to begin with."

Crystal looked very surprised. "Huh? What about you?"

"I'll be fine. A total solar eclipse is an extremely rare but beautiful occurrence, and I can't let you miss that kind of event, now can I?" Gold reached over and kissed his girlfriend. "Besides, I know how much you've been looking forward to this moment."

Crystal blushed and sheepishly accepted the viewing tool. "Thanks, Gold. I really appreciate it."

Within a couple of minutes, the totality occurred. Seemingly the entire region of Johto was darkened, and Crystal was instantly lost in the spectacular phenomenon. Gold kept his eyes down, but before long, he looked up to see what was so amazing about a total solar eclipse.

"Whoa…" Gold muttered. He too, was captivated by the beauty of the rare occurrence. "Cool…" But as he stared into the sun + moon, the moon slightly shifted position and the first light of the sun and the reflected sunlight from the moon hit Gold's eyes hard. "Whoa! Not cool!"

Three hours later…

"Are you okay there, Gold?" came Crystal's worried voice as she led him out of the Violet City hospital.

"Yeah, I'm doing perfectly fine," Gold replied, but he stubbed his toe on the open door frame of the hospital. "Ow! Son of a b-"

"Gold, don't swear. Emerald and Platinum are right here," Crystal said sternly. "Hi, Emerald, Platinum. You two saw the total solar eclipse, right?"

"Of course," Emerald replied. "We had some… hard time making sure the other kids didn't stare directly at it, but… everyone's eyes are accounted for."

"The eclipse was absolutely beautiful," Platinum said. "But senior Gold, are you okay? I have heard what happened."

"I'm fine. This is only temporary," Gold answered as he turned to face his junior.

"Senior? I am over here," came Platinum's voice from the left.

"Damn," Gold muttered. He turned accordingly. "Well, I'll get used to it."

"I hope you recover soon, senior," Platinum said after a polite bow.

Emerald approached Crystal and began whispering in her ear. "Well, now that he's temporarily blind, I guess he won't be bothering you as much. He can't really pull pranks and jokes on you if he can't see."

Crystal sighed and whispered back. "I don't know about that. Since he's blind, I'll probably have to help him with everything. If anything, he'll bother me more than ever."

"… Good luck then."

Crystal waved her two juniors goodbye and led Gold back to her house. The doctors said that Gold would have to rest his eyes for two weeks and as such, the goggled boy had bandage wrapped tightly over his eyes. Which meant that Gold would be completely helpless on his own, which also meant that he was going to have to stay at Crystal's house and she would have to take care of him all day, every day.

Two days later…

Gold woke up from his nap and sat up. For some reason, Crystal wasn't around him, so he decided to find her. He rose to his feet and started to walk. He was in Crystal's room upstairs, so he decided to find his way downstairs to the living room. He took several steps and ran smack into the wall.

"Ow… f*cking wall!" he groaned. He stretched his arms forward and proceeded to feel his way around. He soon found the threshold and proceeded through. Eventually, he managed to go downstairs and to the living room without falling or hitting anything.

Once he was clear of the stairs, he stretched his arms forward again and slowly started to walk. Before long, his fingers came in contact with something… soft.

'_What the hell is that?_' he thought as he examined the unknown obstacle. '_It's soft… sort of round, bigger than my fist… Oh, there's another one right beside. It kind of feels like a girl's… Oh._' Gold immediately pulled his hands back, but couldn't help grinning. "Sorry, Crys," he said with a laugh. "I obviously didn't see you there. You can't blame me for what happened! I'm blind, remember." He didn't get any response, and he began to feel dread. "… You _are_ Crys, right?" But to his surprise and horror…

"No," came _Blue_'s grim voice.

'_Oh, sh*t!_' Gold instantly spun around. "Look, Silver! I'm blind right now. I didn't see senior Blue, and… Just don't kill me, man! I'm handicapped right now! I can't be held responsible for what I do!" He then spun around again and begged to Blue. "Please don't tell senior Green about this. He'll kill me for sure."

Blue started to laugh. "Oh, Gold, you should see the look on your face! It's priceless!"

"Huh?"

"Gold, relax," came Crystal's voice. "Blue was just… having fun. It was me that you… _touched_."

"Oh…" The goggled boy let out a sigh of relief. "Whew… So Silver's not going to murder me."

"Relax, Gold," Blue said with another laugh. "And Silver's not here, by the way. I just came to see how Crys was doing now that she has to… babysit you 24/7."

"Oh, Super Serious Gal's been a great help. She's been feeding me and she's basically doing everything I tell her to do."

Blue looked over at Crystal and noticed that she looked awfully tired. "I see. Well you should thank her, Gold. Because I think you're driving her mad."

"Alright then. I have the perfect way of thanking her!" Gold said. He turned to face Crystal, embraced her tight and after a touching around her face with his hand, kissed her on the lips. "Thanks, Crys." He kept his tight embrace and rubbed her back with his hands. "… You _are_ Crys, right?"

"This time, it's _really_ not Crys," Blue said with a sigh.

"Ah, damn it!" Gold exclaimed as he quickly backed off. "You're not going to tell Silver or senior Green, right? This was purely an accident."

Blue crossed her arms and cleared her throat. She sounded rather disgruntled. "We'll see, Gold."

"Okay… I'm just going to stand perfectly still and not do anything," Gold said after a nervous gulp.

Blue sighed again and wiped around her lips with a tissue. "Crys… Have fun. I'll see you later."

Gold remained perfectly still until he heard the door open and close. "… Is she gone?" he asked. "… Crys?"

"Yes, she's gone," Crystal said.

"Oh, good," Gold said as he exhaled the breath he's been holding. "Whew… no more misunderstandings…" Without warning, Crystal slapped him. "Ow! Crys, what the hell?"

"Take a guess, genius," Crystal growled out.

"Look, if this is about me… touching you, I didn't see you. I'm _blind_. I backed away the moment I realized what was happening. I would never do such a thing to you on purpose."

"Then explain that stupid grin, you pig."

"It was just… funny! I mean… what are the odds of that happening?"

"Fine, I'll let that slide. But what bothers me is that you didn't realize that you were hugging and kissing Blue until she said so!" Crystal yelled as she crossed her arms and turned away.

"Hey, come on! I'm blind here! How many times do I have to say it? And I'm sorry, Crys. I realized something was odd, which was why I asked whether I was actually hugging you."

"When did you realize that?"

"When I kissed her. It felt… different from whenever I kissed you. And the hug felt a little different."

Crystal sighed but lightened her expression. "Alright then, I'll just have to refresh your memory and make you remember." She gently hugged Gold and kissed him. "And don't you forget me."

Gold gave her another 'stupid' grin. "Oh, I won't."

"Good." Crystal grabbed Gold by the wrist and began to drag him towards the living room. "Now come, Gold. We have to think of what to do in case Blue really does tell Silver and Green about what happened."


	35. Triumph

**SE hasn't really been updated in a while. That was because the SA cancellation warning, 'classical' SR approach, and the new SL took my attention. And because of those, although SE may be updated right now, who knows when the next update will be…**

**Anyways, the second chapter of the second Gold & Crystal burst is here! For clarification, SE #034: Solar Eclipse – Gold/Crystal was still 1 chapter.**

**Primary: Gold & Crystal.**

* * *

Triumph:

"For the last time, go away, Gold."

Gold tried to object as Crystal pushed him out of the research room in Professor Oak's laboratory. The girl slammed the door shut, leaving the goggled boy standing alone in front of the cold wooden door.

Gold looked at the calendar on the wall and began to count. "And… today hits failed attempt number 99… 99 days of asking Crys out, and 99 failures."

On his way out of the lab, Gold ran into Emerald, who was working on a different research project.

"Again?" the Hoenn Dex Holder asked.

"Again," the Johto Dex Holder answered with a sigh. "Do you think she'll ever agree?"

"I don't know. But I think Crystal would be happy if she went out with you, assuming she can trust you. Why don't you try again tomorrow?" Emerald suggested. "Maybe attempt #100 will be successful."

"Alright then, I'll try again tomorrow," Gold said. "If Super Serious Gal says no again, then… I'll just try the next day, and the next, and the next, until she finally says yes."

Once his senior left, Emerald went into the main research room to talk to Crystal. She gave him a warm smile as he entered, quite the different reaction than with Gold.

"Are you done with your research?" she asked nicely.

"Not yet," Emerald replied. "But… Gold came again, huh?"

Crystal sighed. "Yes. When will he take no for an answer?"

"He won't. I think the better question is… why don't you just say yes?"

Crystal looked at him with a questioning look. "Why should I say yes? I don't really like him. And him keep coming is not going to change that at all. If anything, if he keeps trying, I'll hate him more and more."

"But he did come 99 times so far," Emerald argued. "Doesn't that mean he really likes you? He wouldn't have done so if he was just trying to bother you. Can't you tell he's being sincere by his persistence?"

"Persistence?" the Johto Dex Holder retorted. "More like stubbornness."

"You know he's going to come again tomorrow. Maybe you can tell him exactly how much you hate him. That way, he'll stop coming and you'll be left alone, which is what you want."

Crystal appeared a little… sad. "Yes… what I want…" '_Is that really what I want? I'll have to think about that later today…_'

Next day, Gold came for the 100th time as predicted. Upon arriving at the lab, he immediately went into the main research room to ask Crystal out once again. The moment he found her and she saw him, she roughly pushed him out of the room.

"For the last time, Gold," she yelled angrily. "Go away! I don't like you! I _hate_ you!"

Crystal slammed the door shut and Gold found himself staring at the cold wooden door for the 100th time. With a sigh, he turned away and approached Emerald, who was looking in his direction.

"Well, that went well," Gold mumbled silently.

"I can see that," Emerald answered.

"So Crys hates me, huh?"

"I think she said that just so that you'll stop coming and asking her out," Emerald said. "Maybe you should try something different."

"Like what?"

Emerald whispered his plan and after a minute, Gold nodded. He left shortly after and Emerald returned to work. From inside the main research room, Crystal sighed as she wondered whether she made the right move. She figured that Gold would return the next day, but something told her that she went a little too far.

Next day, Crystal waited for Gold to barge in again so that she may apologize for being so harsh. But this time, he didn't show up. Crystal looked at her watch and noticed that it was 1 pm. Gold always barged in between 12 and 12:30. Crystal shook her head and got back to work. She figured that Gold would come back the next day.

But she was wrong. Gold didn't come back the next day, or the next. She waited for him for a whole month, but he didn't show up. He wasn't present in any of the Dex Holder meetings/hangouts either. Crystal called him during those meetings/hangouts, but he didn't answer. She initially wasn't going to go look for him in New Bark Town because that would mean that Gold has won the battle. But after another month of complete silence, she couldn't take it anymore. During one of her workless days, she went over to New Bark Town so she could find out what Gold was up to.

But before heading towards Gold's big house, Crystal decided to go to the nearest café first. She needed some time to think of what she was going to say. The moment she entered the café, she saw something rather shocking. Gold was sitting across a table from a cute looking girl, staring absent-mindedly into his glass of iced tea while the girl rambled on about something.

Crystal approached the two with the intention of scolding Gold for missing out on Dex Holder meetings due to a date.

"Gold, is this why you weren't answering any of my calls?" she asked the moment she arrived at their table.

Gold looked very surprised to see her there, and so did the girl sitting across the table from him. The girl looked back and forth between the two Dex Holders.

"Did… did you have another girlfriend?" she asked Gold with a hurt expression.

"What? No, no, no!" Gold said desperately. "This isn't what you think!"

"That's what they all say when they're caught cheating!" the girl yelled as she rose to her feet.

"No, no, no! Please! You're all that matters to me!" Gold pleaded.

"Really? What's my name then?" the girl asked as she crossed her arms.

Gold simply looked at her with a blank expression. "… Christina?"

The girl rolled her eyes and began to storm away. "Good bye, Gold."

"Wait! It's Christie, isn't it?!" Gold yelled desperately.

The girl turned to look at him from the exit. "My name is Sophia, you jerk!"

Gold blinked a few times before he returned to his seat. "That was way off my guess…" He sighed and turned his attention to Crystal, who had been watching the exchange amusedly. "Why'd you come here, Super Serious Gal? Why'd you ruin my date like that?"

"Sorry, Gold," Crystal said as she sat on the empty seat where Gold's date had been sitting a few seconds ago. "I just came to-"

Gold shook his head and rose to his feet. "Whatever, Crys. You said you hated me. Well, I'm sorry for bothering you all this time, alright? You told me to go away for 100 days straight, so I'm staying away from you. What more do you want?"

"No, that's not what I-" Crystal tried to say, but Gold simply started to walk away. "Gold, wait!"

But Gold left without another glance and Crystal quickly followed. She kept trying to talk to him but he pretended as if she didn't exist entirely. Before long, Gold arrived at his house and entered. He slammed the door shut before Crystal could enter and locked it from the inside.

"Gold, come on!" Crystal yelled as she knocked on the door. "I'm really sorry! Can't we just talk about this?" But there was no response from Gold and Crystal groaned. "Oh… I really hurt him…"

Crystal knocked on the door again, and again, and again, hoping that Gold would open the door for her. But he didn't, and after 10 minutes of continuous knocking, Crystal headed home. She just felt terrible…

The next day, Crystal arrived at Professor Oak's laboratory with a sullen expression, having failed to contact Gold yet again. She had never been to work that depressed before…

But inside the lab, she found the goggled boy talking to Emerald. Upon seeing her, Gold quickly fell silent. He rose to his feet and headed towards the exit. Crystal quickly stopped him.

"Gold, please. Let's talk about this," she begged.

"What's there to talk about?" Gold retorted. "You told me to go away, so I'm staying away from you. It's pretty simple, isn't it?"

Crystal glanced at Emerald for help, but the Hoenn Dex Holder simply shrugged. Crystal bit her lip as she prepared herself to tell Gold what she decided the previous night.

"Listen Gold… about the dates you've been offering… I'm willing to give them a try."

But to her surprise, Gold's reaction was still cold. "It's too late for that, don't you think? You had 100 days to accept the offer and here you are, over 60 days late."

The goggled boy tried to get to the exit but Crystal grabbed onto his arm. "Please, Gold," she begged. '_I never thought I'd be the one begging…_' "Would you please go out with me?"

Gold let out a deep sigh. "If it means that much to you, then fine. I'll give it a try."

"Thank you, Gold," Crystal said after a sigh of relief. She then hugged him, relieved that she was given a chance to set everything straight.

During the hug, Gold grinned. He silently gave Emerald a high five and a thumbs-up afterwards. When Crystal pulled back from the hug, Gold quickly put on the same dead expression he had in front of the girl recently.

"I'll see you at 6 pm then?" Crystal asked.

"Fine, whatever," Gold said dismissively. He then exited the lab and shut the door. He walked around the corner of the lab and once he was sure that no one could see, he performed a short dance of celebration. '_Oh, the plan is going without a hitch! And Crys, you won't regret tonight, I promise._'

12 hours later, 8 pm…

Crystal slowly walked home while holding Gold's hand. She couldn't really believe it, but… the night was rather enjoyable. She really had a great time, and she felt… happy to be with Gold. She'll never admit that part, though…

"You know, Gold," she started once she arrived in front of her house. "I really had fun tonight."

"Yeah, me too," Gold said.

"And I'm really sorry for hurting your feelings," Crystal said.

"It's okay. I'm feeling much better now."

"Anyways, I really had a good time and…" Crystal appeared extremely nervous and even embarrassed. "I… um… wouldn't mind doing this again."

"Alright then… How about tomorrow at same time as today?" Gold offered.

Crystal smiled. "I'd like that. It's a date."

The girl turned to open the door to her house. But before she could enter, Gold spoke. "You know Crys… I really do love you."

Crystal started to blush. She turned to look at him sheepishly. "Y – Yes, I realized… And… um… I – I didn't realize this earlier, but… I… I love you too."

Gold suddenly leaned over and gave her a quick kiss to the lips. Crystal looked stunned and her face turned completely red. But she soon smiled and kissed back.

"So I'll see you tomorrow then," Gold said once the second kiss ended.

Crystal nodded. "Yes. I'll be waiting." She then entered her house and let out a long content sigh. '_I guess I should've accepted his offer a lot sooner. Going out with him isn't as bad as I thought._'

On his way back to New Bark Town, Gold kept laughing at the success of the plan. He called Emerald to give him his credit.

"Odd Boy, my friend," he started with a hearty laugh. "You are a genius! I owe you one!"

"So the plan worked completely?" Emerald asked.

"Yeah. Tonight was great! We-"

"Ah, I don't need to hear the details."

"Well, thanks anyways."

"Don't mention it. But now that you owe me one," the Hoenn Dex Holder said deviously. "I'd like a favor to cash in."

"Huh?"

"You see, that sissy Ruby's birthday's coming up soon, and I want this particular birthday to be… memorable, but in a bad way. I want you to join me in sabotaging his birthday and embarrassing the hell out of him _and_ Sapphire. What do you say? It's going to be fun!"

Gold grinned. "You're on."

* * *

**The final piece of the Gold & Crystal burst is up next. Feel free to make any request. Don't expect them all to be complied, but I'll be considering them. Check the 'mechanics' category on my profile as it will list the benefits of being a faithful reviewer (3, quite possibly 4 in SE).**

* * *

Post Ending:

One week later…

"Hey Crys, want to go get lunch?" Gold asked as he barged into the main research room yet again.

Crystal sighed and turned to glare at him. "Gold… I just found out from Emerald that I went out with you last week because I fell for your plan. So you were just _pretending_ to be hurt and used my kind, generous sympathy against me."

"… Odd Boy told you that?" Gold asked, sensing dread and impending doom.

"You jerk!" Crystal screamed at him. In that instant, Blue appeared in the doorway in order to ask something but seeing her junior infuriated, the Kanto girl silently backed away. Crystal continued screaming at Gold. "Do you have _any_ idea how worried I was?! Do you know how miserable you made me feel for the two months you stayed away from me?!"

"Uh… I love you?" Gold said in an attempt to calm Crystal.

Crystal rolled her eyes and shoved Gold out of the research room. "Go away Gold. I _hate_ you!" she yelled as she slammed the door shut.

"Not again…" Gold muttered with a groan. "Why did Odd Boy tell her?"

"From what I saw, he was interrogated, actually," Blue said from behind. "He didn't really have a choice."

"Great… regardless of why he told her, he did tell her and now Crys hates me again…" Gold said with a sigh.

Blue flashed him one of her 'trademark' devious grins. "Maybe _I_ could be of some assistance…"


	36. Cooperation

**Though I said that I didn't know when SE was going to be updated, seeing how I don't have to work on SA and SE's second anniversary is here, I decided to focus on SE and… here it is!**

**Primary: Gold & Crystal**

* * *

Cooperation:

Pallet Town, 2 pm…

"Crys, why do you think we can't get along like everyone else?"

"I should ask _you_ that! Look at Red and Yellow. They're so nice together. Dia and Platinum too. Even Green and Blue are no nice together on the rare moments when he's nice to her, anyways. But you and I… You know, _Ruby and Sapphire_ look happy and peaceful in comparison!"

Gold crossed his arms. "That's all because of you, Super Serious Gal."

Crystal crossed her arms as well and huffed. "You know what? I get along with everyone else better than you. So clearly, the problem is you."

"Oh, sure. As if the others like your super serious nature."

"They like me better than you and your arrogant flirting nature."

"Please. They like me because I'm outgoing. You're the exact opposite."

As the two Johto Dex Holders argued, someone came into their field of view that could help settle the dispute. The unlucky victim was…

"Ah, Red!" Crystal exclaimed happily as she ran over to her senior.

"Hey, Crys," Red said with a friendly wave. "What's u-" Before he could finish his greet, Crystal latched onto his arm.

"Red, you like me, don't you?" she asked as she put on a cute expression.

"Uh… what?" Red muttered, completely caught off guard by the abrupt question. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Gold ran over to Red as well and grabbed onto his other arm. "Senior Red, you obviously like me better than Super Serious Gal, right?"

Crystal yanked her senior closer to her. "No, he likes _me_ more!"

Gold yanked his senior closer to him again. "No, he likes _me_ more!"

Red looked back and forth between his juniors as they yanked his arms left and right. He had no idea what was currently happening. All he knew was that he was caught in some kind of a preference fight where he was screwed regardless of the choice he made.

"Uh… let's just calm down and-" Red attempted to say, but his two juniors weren't listening.

"Red likes me more!" Crystal yelled. "He takes care of me so much during the Grass Dex Holder meetings!"

"The Grass what?" Red asked, but again, he was ignored.

"No, senior Red likes me better! We constantly train together in Mt. Silver!" Gold argued back.

"That was like 6 years ago," Red said, but once again, no one heard him. '_How did I get in this mess?_'

"We're even in the same team!" Gold yelled. "Senior Red, me, Wildchild Girl, Platinum, and the Dream Boy are all on the same team, and we get along so well!"

"Gold… I have no idea what you're talking about," Red said, only to be ignored yet again.

Suddenly, Crystal hugged Red from behind and kissed him on the cheek, surprising the hell out of both Gold and Red. She then gave the goggled boy a smug look as to signify her victory. Gold gritted his teeth. There was no way he could compete with that… But another 'victim' appeared that he could use to counteract Crystal's 'finisher'.

"Platinum!" Gold yelled as he released Red and dashed towards the heiress. Platinum gave him a polite bow. Before she could say anything, Gold had his arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace. "You missed me, didn't you?"

"S – Senior? Wh – What are you doing?!" Platinum whispered in horror as her senior rubbed her on the lower back.

"Just go with it," Gold whispered back. "Super Serious Gal's doing the same thing with senior Red."

To copy Crystal's 'finisher', Gold kissed Platinum on the cheek, further scaring her. Crystal scowled at Gold's despicable act, completely ignoring the fact that her move made Red _extremely_ uncomfortable and was deemed equally despicable.

"Given Platinum's expression, it's clear that Red and I are closer than you and her," she said in a taunting manner.

"No, Platinum's like this because she's surprised at seeing you faking fondness with senior Red," Gold countered. "Platinum and I really are close."

"Yeah right. You two are as close as Green and Silver."

"We'll prove it!" Gold yelled. "Me and Platinum vs. you and senior Red. If Platinum and I win, then clearly, we have better teamwork."

"Alright, let's do it!" Crystal yelled back.

"B – Battle?" Platinum whispered to Gold. "But… against senior Red?"

"Let's do it!" Crystal yelled. "Where do you want to go?!"

"Let's just find senior Blue and get this going!" Gold answered.

"Um… why do we need senior Blue for a Double Battle?" Platinum asked. "Can we not just do it here?"

Gold looked at Platinum with a confused look. "Double Battle? What about it?"

"Didn't you say that you were going to battle me and Crys?" Red asked, hoping that he wouldn't be ignored this time.

Gold looked rather bewildered. "Who said anything about a Pokémon Battle? I meant various kinds of face offs that can be anywhere from a relay run to a quiz battle."

"I know what you meant," Crystal said. "Why do you think I was so eager to get on with it? It's because I'm better than you at everything!"

"But from that misunderstanding, it's obvious that you and senior Red don't get along," Gold taunted.

"Oh, like _Platinum_ understood!" Crystal countered.

Red let out a long sigh as Gold and Crystal continued to argue. The two Johto Dex Holders were acting awfully like Ruby and Sapphire for some reason…

An hour later, the four Dex Holders stood in front of Blue and asked her for her assistance. After hearing the 'mission briefing', Blue nodded as she understood exactly what Gold and Crystal wanted. The five Dex Holders headed into Red's house so that they could get the 'battle' started.

"Okay," Blue started. "I'll ask you a series of preference questions and whichever team says the same answer the most will clearly be the team that gets along the best, and thus will be the winner."

She got the four Dex Holders to sit facing a different wall, so that no one could see another. She gave them all a piece of paper and a pencil for this… 'game'.

"How long is this going to take?" Red asked.

"It won't take that long. But I must say, Red. I'm surprised that you're in this mess," Blue commented.

"I'm surprised too," Red said with a sigh.

"Platinum, we have to win!" Gold said with determination in his voice. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, senior!" Platinum replied excitedly. Even though her participation didn't benefit her in the slightest, she still wanted her senior satisfied in his endeavors.

"Alright, let's get this thing started," Blue said cheerfully. "I want all of you to write down your answer quietly once I ask them. If your teammate writes the same thing, then clearly, you two get along well! The first question is… _What is your favorite type?_"

The four Dex Holders wrote their answer and Blue went around looking at the answer sheets.

"Alright. So… Platinum answered Fire. Red answered Electric. Crys answered Grass, and… Gold also answered Grass."

Gold glared at Platinum. "Fire? What the hell?!" he yelled. "Don't you like Dia? He has a Torterra, right? Torterra is _Grass_ type, isn't it?!"

Platinum appeared frightened at her senior's intimidating glare. "B – But… senior, your Typhlosion is Fire type, and I thought…"

"Moving on!" Blue yelled. "Second question is… _What is your favorite Johto city or town?_" Again, she waited around 10 seconds before she gathered the results. "Red answered Goldenrod. Platinum answered Ecruteak. Crys answered Olivine, and… Gold also answered Olivine."

"Again, what the hell?!" Gold yelled at Platinum. "The very first Johto city you visited was Olivine, wasn't it?!"

"Y – Yes, b – but… Ecruteak City is h – historic," the heiress stammered out in terror. "S – Senior, p – please stop yelling at me…"

Crystal scowled at Gold. "Yeah, Gold. Stop yelling at her. But I guess it just shows you that you two don't get along."

"Oh, you and senior Red get along then? Your answers were way off of his!" Gold argued.

"Moving on!" Blue yelled again. "But first…" She took a roll of tape and taped Gold's mouth shut. She then gave Platinum a comforting smile before asking the third question. "_What is your favorite season?_" Blue gathered the results but this time, in order to make the results more… nerve wrecking, she didn't say who answered what. "Moving on!"

Half an hour later…

"Okay, here is the final question!" Blue exclaimed. "_Which of the following do you feel is the most important? Loyalty, Respect, or Refinement?_" She then gathered the answer sheets from the other four Dex Holders and prepared to declare the final results. "Oh, wow," she muttered as she realized what the final results implied.

"Well? Who wins?" Gold asked as he took the tape off of his mouth.

"It's a tie," Blue answered. "Red and Crys, you two said different answers for _every single question_. Gold and Platinum, same thing."

"Ah, damn it!" Gold yelled. "So it looks like Platinum and I don't get along after all. Neither do Crys and senior Red."

"Yes, but interestingly," Blue said. "Gold, you and Crys said the identical answers on all 10 questions."

"We did?" Gold and Crystal said in unison.

"Yeah. The last question, for example. Platinum answered Refinement, Red answered Loyalty, and you two answered Respect."

"So… can we go now?" Red asked.

Blue nodded and he soon left with Platinum, glad to be finally released from the fight between the two Johto Dex Holders. But outside, Red stayed around as… he just came out of his own house. He wanted to stay home, but was going to wait until Blue, Gold, and Crystal left. Platinum bowed to her senior before she left to do what she came to Pallet Town for.

"What does this mean?" Gold asked from inside Red's house.

Blue got the two Dex Holders to sit by a table facing each other and sat with them. "It's pretty obvious, don't you think? You two get along incredibly well. You may argue constantly, but you two fit together very nicely. You're kind of like Ruby and Sapphire. They argue constantly, but they're very fond of each other. They can finish each other's sentences and know what the other is thinking."

"There's no way Gold and I could do that," Crystal said. "We're too different."

"I'll prove it, then," Blue said. "Pick a number between 1 and 5 and quietly tell me what you picked and why." She waited a short while for her two juniors to decide and had them whisper their choice to her ear. "Again. You two both chose 2. And the reasons matched too. You two both chose 2 because your very first Pokédex model was a Version II."

The two Johto Dex Holders glanced at each other. "So we really do get along?" they asked in unison.

"Yes. You two complement each other well. Gold, you're dumb and reckless while Crys is smart and calm. Even your battle tactics complement nicely too. Crys, you focus on defense while Gold focuses only on offense. You two work very well with each other even though everyone thinks otherwise."

"Come to think of it," Gold muttered. "A while ago when I called for a battle, both Platinum and senior Red thought I meant a Pokémon Battle, but…"

"… I was the only one who thought otherwise," Crystal finished. "Gold, why did you say that Olivine was your favorite Johto city?"

"Why did you?" Gold asked instead.

"I don't know… It just came to my mind," Crystal answered. "But maybe, just maybe, it's because Olivine is near the Whirl Islands…"

"… Which is where we first met," Gold finished.

Blue gave her juniors a warm smile before she left them alone. She mentally gave herself a nice pat on the shoulders for another job well done. Once she left, Gold and Crystal looked at each other rather… timidly.

"I'm… um… sorry for arguing with you earlier today," Crystal said sheepishly. "I was just… frustrated because…"

"You thought we couldn't get along even after all these years," Gold finished for her.

"Yeah…" Crystal muttered. She suddenly rose to her feet and stood facing Gold. "You know, I'm sure that if we were to… sacrifice a few things, we'll be able to get along better than anyone else."

"Yeah. You can be a little less serious," Gold started as he rose to his feet as well.

"And you can show some modesty from time to time."

Gold cleared his throat and extended a hand to Crystal. "Here's to our new start."

Crystal accepted and shook his hand. "Yeah. A second start."

As if on cue, both Johto Dex Holders pulled each other close for a hug. And immediately afterwards, they gave each other a light kiss on the cheek. Gold noticed that Crystal had a genuine caring and happy look on her face, significantly different than the fake one she had when she faked being close to Red.

"On second thought," Crystal said with a bright smile. "Don't change, Gold. I like you just the way you are."

Gold grinned. "I can say the same to you. Don't change, Crys. After all, I do need my Super Serious Gal."

* * *

**So ends the second Gold & Crystal burst. Next up will be the start of the Green & Blue burst, as voted by 9/29 of you on that poll a long while ago.**

* * *

Post Ending:

"Oh, I almost forgot," Blue started with a devious grin as she went up to Gold and Crystal again. "I think you guys can help me solve a little predicament."

"Oh, sure," Crystal said without much thought. "What's the problem?"

Blue pulled out a photo from her bag and showed it to Crystal. The Johto girl's face turned pale upon recognizing the picture and simply froze. It was a picture of her kissing Red… when exactly did Blue take that photo?

"What exactly should I do with this?" Blue said with a grin. "Maybe I should… show it to Yellow. I am curious as to what an enraged-normally-peaceful-telekinetic girl would look like. She's been training and enhancing her powers little by little. By now she should be able to… oh, I don't know… throw 40 kg weights with a flick of a hand."

Crystal remained frozen. She weighed around 40 kg so if Yellow was mad at her… Wait… does Blue know her weight?! Gold burst into laughter as he pictured Crystal being flipped upside down in mid air by a pissed-off Yellow. He then froze as well, realizing something. "Wait… does that mean…"

Blue pulled out another photo, this one with Gold kissing Platinum. "If Dia and Pearl were to see this… Oh, Pearl's reaction will be so funny! Dia's, not so much."

Gold shuddered at the possible consequences. He didn't fear the two Sinnoh Dex Holders; not at all. But those two would probably want some type of retribution (especially Diamond). And the two Sinnoh Dex Holders could go and 'hire' Emerald and/or _Blue_ to come up with a torturous scheme…

Gold reached into his pocket for his wallet as he made hand signals to calm Blue down. "Alright, alright… I get the picture, pun intended. How much do you want?"

"Oh, I don't want money," Blue said with an evil grin. "What I want from the two of you is… _total obedience_."

"What?" Gold and Crystal said at the same time.

"From this point on, you will do what I say, when I say, and how I say it. You will _never_ stand up to me in any way shape or form, and you will support me in every decision I make regarding the other Dex Holders. Do we have an agreement?"

Gold and Crystal glanced at each other before they instantly knelt in front of Blue and bowed. "Yes, ma'am," they said in unison.

"Good."


	37. Field Trip

**Alert: just so you readers know, someone (with permission though) is translating one or more of S-EARL into Vietnamese. Permission was given on January 22, 2013. So keep this in mind in case you hear stuff. Extremely unlikely, but you never know. This note will appear on the most recent chapter of all of S-EARL.**

**After a long period of time (4 months!), SE has been updated. My goal for this thing is to finish it before its third anniversary. It'll end at SE #040. And this time, it'll actually end, unlike its previous predicted 'end' at SE #019.**

**This chapter is the result of a suggestion by a faithful reviewer… oh, I don't know… 5 months ago? I lost track. And this chapter is also the start of the first and last Green & Blue burst, as voted by YOU a long time ago.**

**Primary: Green & Blue**

* * *

Field Trip:

Green sat by his desk, typing away into his computer as always. The trip to Canalave City's library not too long ago had helped quite a bit with his ongoing research for Prof. Oak. His study was for a way to cure poisoning caused by a Beedrill, and Canalave's archives on Combee and Vespiquen did help quite a bit. Although an anaphylactic shock is the least of anyone's concern when attacked by a swarm of Beedrills, but at least this research will create one less problem for such a scenario.

Unfortunately, Green knew that there was no way he'd be able to research on anything for an extended period of time in Kanto without _someone_ barging in. And like clockwork, said someone barged in just as he saved his document.

"Hi, Green!" came Blue's cheerful voice from behind. "Did you miss me?"

"Considering how I saw you just yesterday, no," Green replied as he turned to look at her.

"Don't be like that. I know you missed me!" she said as she hugged him.

"What do you want, Blue?" Green asked once the embrace ended.

"Green, it's been exactly 1 year since we _officially_ started dating," Blue said with a bright smile. "Want to go somewhere special?"

"Something tells me I'm not going to like this," Green muttered. "Where do you have in mind?"

"Well… how about the Mossdeep Space Station?" Blue suggested. "You know… go out to… space."

Green stared at her in disbelief. "… Space? Do you have _any_ idea how expensive that is?"

"Okay then, how about the Marine Tube?"

"In Unova? The flight there is going to cost… … Can't you pick anywhere in _this_ region? Or Johto?"

"Come on, Green!" Blue begged with a cute face. "Today's a _special_ day!"

"By the time we get to those places, it won't be much of a special day anymore."

"Please?" she begged. "I haven't asked you to do anything for me in a while!"

Green shook his head. "You wanted me to take you to the most expensive restaurant in Kanto 3 days ago!"

"I said "a while". I didn't specify how long," Blue commented with a smile. "So what I said is still correct."

"… Bloody hell," Green muttered.

"And besides, you took Crys to Canalave City not too long ago," she said with a pout. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say there's something going on between you two."

"… I took Crystal to Canalave City so we could use the books in the library for research," Green said defensively. "I paid for the trip as a prize for her being so helpful."

"How many times did I hear that? Crys must be doing really, _really_ well for you to continuously commend her. … _Is_ there something going on between you and her?"

"No, Blue," Green said with a sigh. "That's like me asking you if there's anything between you and Silver apart from the most obvious."

Blue thought for a second before she shrugged. "Alright. Let's drop that topic. Now, about that special location…"

'_Perhaps a trip to the Mossdeep Space Station wouldn't be that bad. After all, there are some… training required for a space trip._' "So you really want to go into space, huh?"

Blue nodded. "Yeah. I don't want to sound spoiled, but I really want to give it a try. And besides, I always heard that our planet is beautiful. But I have never really seen it that way. I always thought it was a miserable not-quite-perfect sphere. I need something to erase that past belief, and nothing beats a first-hand experience."

Green smiled at her, which she found surprising. And a little unnerving… He never smiled like that before. Was he plotting something?

"Be careful of what you wish for," he said rather ominously.

Blue fought off a shiver that ran down her spine. But she trusted that he wouldn't plot anything against her of all people. So she smiled happily and nodded. "Let's go then!"

Two days later, the two Kanto Dex Holders arrived at Mossdeep City of Hoenn. Green didn't like the idea of going all the way to Hoenn in the middle of a research. He had to call Crystal and get her to take over for a few days. She accepted but Green could tell she wasn't all that happy. He was sure that she had a little… trip planned with Gold which had to be cancelled. Whoops. Blame Blue. Green would send Crystal a little souvenir from this trip to Mossdeep. And he was sure that the Johto Dex Holder would appreciate it and satisfy her urges for a little payback.

"Alright Blue, here we are," Green said as he stood in front of the Space Station.

"Oh, I can't wait!"

"But you will have to wait. And you have to go through some… training before the actual launch."

"Training?" Blue asked. "What training? I thought all we had to do was pay and wait for the launch."

"You can't be that naïve, Blue," Green said with a smirk. "You can't expect to send any random citizen into space. You need preparation!"

The girl narrowed her eyes. So this was why the Gym Leader was smiling back in Kanto… "What kind of preparation?"

"You know about physics, don't you?"

"Of course. I've done my studies in my… captive days. And nowadays when I have nothing to do."

"So you'd know what a person will experience if they were to be shot into space. Namely… _massive_ acceleration related issues."

"So _that's_ why you didn't put up much of an argument about coming here…"

"Yes. I spent quite a bit of money for the trip here and to reserve a little… tour of the facility. The only way you're going back home is by completing the tour."

Blue shrugged off the creeping terrible feeling. "Alright. Let's do it! Life is about experience!"

"What are you, Platinum? I'd never thought you'd say such a thing."

The first part of the tour wasn't at all extraordinary. It was just a view of the various pieces of equipment that people use to launch things into space. But the second part was hellish.

"What is this again?" Blue asked as Green strapped her into a seat in the center of two hoops. The seat was attached to the inner wheel, which was connected to the outer wheel at two points. One at the top of inner wheel, and one at the bottom, allowing the inner wheel to spin around, which would make the seat spin around. The outer hoop was attached to the main frame also at two points, but one at the far left and the other at the far right, allowing it to spin as well… And for some reason, there was a camera fixed on her seat that was aimed at her face.

"It's called a gyroscope," Green answered. "It's… used to train people to get a sense of orientation in space."

"Then what's this camera for?"

"To catch your reaction."

"… Is this going to be fun?" Blue asked hopefully.

Green shrugged. "Sapphire sure thought so."

"Wait, you took Sapphire here but not m-"

Without warning, Green pushed the inner hoop and Blue started to spin around a vertical rotational axis. He then pushed a button on a console nearby and the outer hoop started to spin around a horizontal axis of rotation, while the inner hoop continued about its vertical axis.

Blue started to scream. "AH! What is this?!"

"I said it's a gyroscope!" Green said in between laughs.

"Please stop this! I think I'm going to be sick!"

Green pressed another button on the console. The gyroscope didn't stop, but rather, _sped up_. Blue screamed more until she stopped in order to prevent herself from throwing up. After what seemed like an eternity, Green stopped the gyroscope and the spinning hoops eventually returned to their original position. Once the wheels stopped moving, he went over to Blue to help her out of the seat.

Blue looked terrible. Her hat had flown off pretty early on and her hair was all over the place thanks to the gyroscope. The moment she was unstrapped from the seat, she reached over to strangle Green. But when her feet touched the floor, she immediately stumbled into his arms.

"Having fun?" Green asked with a smirk.

"Shut up," Blue growled out. "… And tell the floor to stop spinning…" She tried to stand on her own will, but looked really unsteady. "… Can we go home now?"

"Nonsense. The second half of the tour hasn't even started," the Gym Leader answered. "I told you to be careful of what you wished for."

"… How did Sapphire handle this gyro thing?"

"She was laughing all the way. She couldn't walk for a while, but she really enjoyed it."

"That girl is crazy, I'm telling you. No human being would _enjoy_ this…"

The third part of the tour was relaxing. It was another view of the equipments used in space, followed by a brief history lesson. Apparently every shuttle launched had a risk of being shot down by Rayquaza when it was not dormant.

The fourth part of the tour was worse than the gyroscope. Again, Blue found herself strapped to a seat attached to a giant machine in a large circular room. The seat was high above the floor, attached to the giant machine on the side, with the machine situated in the center of the circular room. And once again, there was a camera fixed to the seat, aimed at the Dex Holder's face.

"In here, you will experience the g-forces and high, high acceleration," came Green's voice from the speakers. The Gym Leader wasn't in the room, but rather, watching from the windows outside.

Blue let out a long sigh. She made a note to herself to _never_ ask ludicrous things from Green again. He would make her regret it and she was regretting asking him to take her to space very much right now…

Before long, the giant machine started to rotate around, causing Blue to shoot around the circular room, much like a rock tied to a string that was being twirled around. Damn circular motion…

At first, the 'ride' was… quite enjoyable. It felt like a ride in some amusement park. Then the machine started to accelerate more and more and more. Eventually, the machine stopped accelerating and maintained its angular velocity. At this point, Blue couldn't keep her eyes open. She felt as if she was going to lose consciousness soon, and tried her absolute best to remain conscious.

Green watched with amusement for a few seconds before he looked at the command console. Apparently Blue was experiencing 15 times the force of gravity, which was quite dangerous for someone with no experience and training whatsoever. Hell, she could even _die_. So he quickly stopped the test and the machine slowed down until it came to a stop. Once the machine stopped completely, Green ran inside the testing chamber to check on Blue's condition.

"Green… Green…" came her feeble voice when he approached. "Are we… done yet?"

"No," Green lied, quite relieved that Blue was okay. "There's a vertical acceleration test you have to experience."

The girl groaned. "L – Listen… I'll pay for the ride home. So can we… stop this and go home already?"

"Well, there is one more reservation we have to attend," Green said as he helped Blue out of the test seat. "There's a restaurant in the western side of Mossdeep City that supposedly has a very good view of the ocean. I reserved some seats there. _If_ you can eat, of course."

To his surprise, Blue suddenly seemed to recover. "Alright then, let's go eat!"

"Wait, were you _faking_ the effects of the g-forces?"

"Of course not," Blue said as she tried and failed to walk. Green supported her from the side and the two Dex Holders slowly headed outside. "But if I can recover from a coma in like… a day, I can shake off the horrible nausea."

Green smiled. "Of course. I sometimes forget how strong you are."

"But please don't do this to me again."

"I won't."

Blue took a shuddering breath. "I've been thinking for a bit, and I made up my mind. Green, I won't ever ask you to take me somewhere like space. I'll only ask you to take me to various restaurants in whatever region we're in. So do you think you can do that without trying to kill me?"

"Sure thing," Green said with another smile. "That, I'll be happy to oblige."

* * *

**Next up: second part of the Green & Blue burst. But this will not be updated until SA has progressed far enough, as it is a scene taken from SA.**

* * *

Post Ending:

"By the way, Blue," Green said with a smirk. "I'm pulling a page out of your book."

"Say what?" the girl asked, confused for a second.

Green pulled out a couple of photos and showed them to Blue. Her expression hardened and she appeared a little pale… They were photos taken during her 'training' with the gyroscope and the high g-force experience. And she looked like crap.

"What would happen if I showed these to our juniors?"

"… You wouldn't do that, would you?"

"It's called retribution," Green said with satisfaction. "You blackmailed all of our juniors, so they'd appreciate the fact that the tables have turned."

Blue stared at him in disbelief. But she soon regained composure and tried to bargain with him. "… Alright. What do you want?"

Green didn't answer. He simply smiled at her and walked away. "I'll think of something. Until then, I'd advise you to be careful with what you say or do. And don't pull off any pranks on our juniors."

"Wait! Green! Promise me you won't show those pictures to anyone else!" Blue yelled desperately.

"I know you currently have this little appearance-competition thing going with the other girls," Green said. "Imagine what they'll do for this little piece of evidence…"

Blue watched Green walk away, struck speechless and stunned motionless. She felt dread for the first time in a long while. It seemed that the Gym Leader had learned from her a bit too much…

"Green, you devious jerk… You beat me…"

* * *

**As mentioned in SL #007, here is the explanation for the updated Age Relations. It's identical to the ones in the rest of S-EARL. If you've seen it anywhere there, then no need to see it here. However, since not everyone who's following SE follows SA/SR/SL, this piece is added for the fourth time.**

**From this point onwards, the most recent edition of the Age Relations will be posted on my profile, along with its changes/updates. So no more mass S-EARL redundant updating!**

* * *

Age Relations:

Birthday, Ages (Arc):

Red: August 8, 11 (RGB), 13 (Y), 14 (GSC), 16 (FRLG, E)  
Green: November 22, 11 (RGB), 13 (Y), 14 (GSC), 16 (FRLG, E)  
Blue: June 1, 11 (RGB), 13 (Y), 14 (GSC), 16 (FRLG), 17 (E)  
Yellow: March 3, 9 (RGB), 11 (Y), 12 (GSC), 14 (FRLG, E)  
Gold: July 21, 11 (GSC), 13 (E), 16 (HGSS)  
Silver: December 24, 11 (GSC), 13 (FRLG, E), 16 (HGSS)  
Crystal: April 30, 11 (GSC), 13 (E), 16 (HGSS)  
Ruby: July 2, 11 (RS), 12 (E)  
Sapphire: September 20, 10 (RS), 11 (E)  
Emerald: May 31, 11 (E)  
Diamond: April 4, 12 (DP, Pt)  
Pearl: June 6, 12 (DP, Pt)  
Platinum: October 27, 12 (DP, Pt)  
Black: N/A, 14 (BW)  
White: N/A, N/A

RS arc starts on Ruby's birthday and ends on Sapphire's. Therefore, Ruby's birthday would have passed but not Sapphire's. But Ruby is recorded to be 11 in RS arc while Sapphire is at 10. Therefore, Ruby and Sapphire will be at the same age when Sapphire's birthday passes. E arc takes place a year after somewhere in the same 80 day time frame, which is after Emerald's birthday. Emerald is recorded to be 11 along with Sapphire. Therefore, Ruby and Sapphire are 1 year older than Emerald.

Ruby, Sapphire: 0  
Emerald: -1

DP arc starts in September (in the actual Japanese version), after Diamond and Pearl's birthdays. Platinum's has not passed yet, but all three are recorded to be 12. Therefore, Platinum is 1 year older than Diamond and Pearl.

Platinum: 0  
Diamond, Pearl: -1

Silver is recorded to be 13 in E arc but his birthday has not passed yet. Therefore, he is two years older than Ruby and Sapphire. Yellow is recorded to be 14 in E, but her birthday has passed. Therefore, Silver and Yellow are at the same age. Crystal's birthday has passed in E and she is recorded to be 13 years old. Therefore, she is 1 year above Ruby and Sapphire, but 1 year below Yellow and Silver. Blue's birthday has passed in E, but not in FRLG. If Blue's birthday did not pass in FRLG, then neither would have Red's or Green's. Therefore all three are at the same age. Blue is recorded to be 17 in E, therefore the Kanto trio are 4 years above Crystal.

Red, Green, Blue: +4  
Yellow, Silver: +1  
Crystal: 0  
Ruby, Sapphire: -1  
Emerald: -2

In GSC arc, Crystal is recorded to be 11 while the Kanto trio are at 14. This means none of the Kanto trio's birthdays have passed but Crystal's has, since they are actually 4 years apart. If Blue's birthday has not passed, then neither would have Gold's. But Gold is recorded to be 11 in GSC, therefore he is 1 year above Crystal.

Red, Green, Blue: +4  
Yellow, Gold, Silver: +1  
Crystal: 0  
Ruby, Sapphire: -1  
Emerald: -2

As White's birthday and age are not known, we don't know if she is the same age as Black. Black is 14 in BW arc, but his birthday's not known, neither is the date in which the BW arc takes place. So he could be 15 if birthday has not passed, or 14 if it has.

**From this point on, the Age Relations are merely postulations.**

Although Platinum is 13 in Pt arc once her birthday passes and Emerald is 11 in E after his birthday, given the apparent temporal proximity between the Pt arc and the HGSS arc, it's possible that DP and Pt arcs take place 3 years after E.

Red, Green, Blue: +4  
Yellow, Gold, Silver: +1  
Crystal: 0  
Ruby, Sapphire: -1  
Emerald: -2  
Platinum: -3  
Diamond, Pearl: -4

We assume Black and White are at the same age.

Black, White: 0.

Given the nature of Pt arc's conclusion, it's possible that the BW arc takes place at the same time or very close to the HGSS arc. Therefore, the updated Age Relations that will be used in all of S-EARL goes as…

Red, Green, Blue: +4  
Yellow, Gold, Silver: +1  
Crystal: 0  
Ruby, Sapphire: -1  
Emerald, Black, White: -2  
Platinum: -3  
Diamond, Pearl: -4


	38. After Image

**Note: S-EARL's Age Relations (Edition III) is confirmed to be inaccurate. However, S-EARL will continue using it due to their progress. SY and onwards will use the 4-Generations-accurate Edition IV.**

**This chapter is a moment taken from SA. Reading SA #028: Final Run is helpful, but not entirely necessary. Though I did say that this chapter will be postponed until SA progresses far enough, I changed my mind. Having SE updated once every 4 months is not going to help me achieve my goal of ending this thing before its third anniversary. So screw accidental SA spoilers! … I've filtered the chapter to have as little spoiling moments as possible. There still are some, but not THAT much.**

**Primary: Green & Blue.**

* * *

After Image:

Green sat on a chair in his grandfather's lab, staring through the window. The calm Pallet Town weather was a distinct contrast to his mind, which had been thrown into chaos since… _her_ death. No matter how many times he thought it over, he could not believe that Blue was dead. And no matter how many times everyone else told him otherwise, he knew that her death was his fault.

The fight he had with her the night before her death was his fault too. If he wasn't so damn focused on a stupid research project, he would've paid more attention to Blue and her feelings. He could've convinced her that he cared about her. He could've comforted her enough so that she wouldn't have launched an assault on the enemy's main HQ all by herself in order to prove her worth to him. Green let out a long sigh. Thinking about this was killing him. He had to stop. Someone had to try to comfort him. Green slowly walked into the main room where the other Dex Holders were gathered. Perhaps some of them would comfort him… But no one could.

White had tried to do so, but didn't accomplish much. But she was the only other person who heard Blue's last message. She could tell that Blue's last thoughts were bothering him, so she focused on properly delivering that message. But unfortunately, White was killed later that day, stopping her efforts short.

Green could feel that White had could have come close to achieving her goal. One of Blue's last thoughts was that she felt that he didn't appreciate her enough. That he didn't love her, which wasn't true. White almost convinced him that Blue actually meant it in longing, that she wished him to be closer to her than before. After White died, Green kept thinking. The more he thought, more he felt that he really hadn't appreciated Blue enough.

He never complimented her. He never thanked her properly. And worst of all, he never told her that he loved her. Because of his image as the calm and stoic Gym Leader, he had to keep some distance and make her come to him instead. But because of that same image, he couldn't allow himself to accept her. Instead, he always called her annoying. Pesky. He told her to go away so many times, he lost count. He could tell that she was hurt whenever he said that to her. She didn't show it. She never showed it. But she was hurt. She kept her smile and tried to brush it off like a joke, but she never succeeded. The fact that she actually left shortly after he told her to go away made it clear that his empty words weren't so empty to her. And he realized it too late.

After White's unfortunate death, Crystal tried to take her place. But Green knew that Crystal needed someone to comfort her as well. She took Gold's death quite hard, just as the Gym Leader took Blue's death hard.

Green could see it in Crystal when she talked to him. Her attempts at a comforting smile were hollow and instead, quite lonely. Every time she tried to comfort him, she ended up crying at the thought of Gold's last message and Green was the one who comforted her. Gold sacrificed himself as atonement for what he had unwillingly done to Crystal. But what did Blue die for? She destroyed the enemy's main HQ, but was killed while trying to escape. She didn't die instantly like Gold. She _bled_ to death. So where was he when she was dying? He was at _home_, researching on something stupid for a Dex Holder that didn't need it. Only if that Dex Holder didn't recklessly charge into Violet City, forcing him to rush in preparing and providing the incomplete prototype…

No, he couldn't blame Platinum for Blue's death. The heiress didn't ask him to further research on the shielding system. It was his choice because he felt that completing the project would ensure the safety of the Dex Holders while they fought off evil. Three Dex Holders died. The project clearly wasn't completed in time.

Green kept his distance from the remaining Dex Holders, wishing that he wasn't so acutely aware of the ongoing relationships/attempts. Yellow still had her crush on Red. _Everyone_ could see that, except Red for some reason. It was obvious that Crystal loved Gold and vice versa, but now that he died, she simply stared ahead blankly, having lost the will to even smile. Red had apparently talked to her, but not a whole lot changed. Ruby hadn't left the hospital since Sapphire's second set of operations. The girl survived again, somehow, and Ruby was there to ensure that nothing bad happened to her. Diamond still looked for his opportunity to tell Platinum that he loved her. The girl remained oblivious as a rock. Perhaps that was why she got along so well with Red… Black seems to have lost the will to do anything, just like Crystal. His situation may have been worse than hers, since White actually died in his arms. Either way, things were quite messy.

But personal and private issues _should_ come after the public ones. The crisis wasn't over yet. In fact, it was getting worse. But the public mission priorities were what got Blue killed in the first place. If Green had put Blue in the top of his priorities just once, none of this could've happened. If Blue had survived, she could've either convinced Gold or devise some way to save him from himself. And she could've even saved White from getting killed as well.

The final showdown was approaching, and Green didn't know how many Dex Holders would survive. Though Green shared the role of the leader with Red, since the Kanto champion didn't seem to like the responsibility (he claimed that he had enough leadership/role-model issues with his team as is), the Gym Leader was acting as the absolute leader of the Dex Holders. And as such, he had a responsibility to ensure that the surviving Dex Holder relationships didn't end up like his with Blue. He had to do something. Crystal was going to hate him for this, but he had no choice. He couldn't let more of his juniors suffer the same issues as he was. The hell with mission priorities.

"The final battle is coming," he said to the gathered Dex Holders. All of the remaining Dex Holders were there, including Sapphire for unknown reasons. She should not even be sitting upright let alone _stand_ on her own, but she was still fighting her injuries so she may actually fight the enemy. Crystal was like that too. She fought hard, staying out of the wheelchair as much as she could. Before Gold died, anyways. Now she lost the will to fight, and simply sat on her wheelchair, staring out the window. Green cast a glance at her before continuing. "I honestly don't know what will happen. We already lost too many friends. But it would be foolish of me to assume that nothing will happen to us. So I want all of you to spend today with your loved ones. Tie up every loose end, so to speak, and report back here tomorrow before 10 am."

Black didn't seem to hear. He wasn't paying attention. He never paid attention anymore. Not that he was particularly attentive to start with, but after White's death, it got worse. But Crystal turned to stare at her senior in disbelief. She looked as if he struck her across her face with her crutch. Green looked into her eyes and hoped that she would understand his reasons. He was _not_ rubbing anything into anyone's faces. And he did not intend to remind her that Gold had left her all alone.

Crystal clenched her teeth as she practically glared at her senior. She tried to force herself to calm down and understand Green's intentions, but found it very hard. Instead, she simply got Emerald to push her wheelchair out of the lab.

Green sincerely hoped that Crystal would calm down and understand him, but it appeared that Gold's death had destroyed a part of her rational self. It was going to take her significantly longer than normal to calm down.

Green decided to let Emerald take care of Crystal for the time being. The Gym Leader turned his attention to Black. The boy was missing his rational self to begin with (or rather, buried under his endless supply of thoughts relating to his dreams), so he wasn't going to be any harder to talk with than before. However, White's death seemed to have destroyed him entirely. His mind didn't seem to be filled with dreams anymore. His Munna stayed away from him, occasionally eyeing the sky, as if it wanted to go somewhere else. Black's other Pokémon kept their eyes on it at all times, just in case. If Green had to guess, Black's mind was probably filled with his limited memories of White. If Blue had died in his arms, if she took her last breath while she was in his embrace, then Green assumed that his mind would be filled with his memories of Blue as well. It probably wasn't easy for Black to focus on anything after the girl he loved died in his arms. The Unova Dex Holder did focus at his tasks in order to exact revenge, but once that was over…

Green sighed and walked away from the other Dex Holders and headed back to his room. It relieved him to know that no one would follow him. He wanted to be left alone, even though he knew that he shouldn't. The others seemed to understand. Red and Yellow seemed to be trying to comfort Black and get him back to normal. Silver and Emerald were with Crystal. Silver's world was in pieces after Blue's death, and so was Crystal's after Gold's. The two remaining Johto Dex Holders would calm and help each other. And they would probably force each other to focus at the task at hand, namely dealing with the new threat. If they failed in their task, then Blue, Gold, and White would have died for absolutely no reason.

Having retreated to the safety of utter isolation, Green shut the door behind him and sat at his chair once again. He reached into his pocket and took out the sound recorder that Blue used to record her final message. With the device in hand, Green let out a long sigh before he played the recorded message once again.

… Blue resented him. She was begging for him to come and save her. But he didn't get to her in time. No matter how many times he listened to the recorded message, his final thoughts were the same. Blue died resenting him when he could've saved her. She died thinking that he didn't care for her. Only if she knew the truth… Only if he got to her 10 minutes earlier…

For several hours straight, Green remained sitting on his seat, listening to Blue's recorded message again and again. This was the only way he could hear her voice again. Even though the thought of her death was going to torment him forever. He wanted to see her again. He would give anything to talk to her one last time. But there was nothing he could do.

Green snapped out of his thoughts when someone knocked on his door. He set the sound recorder on his desk and opened the door. To his surprise, he saw Crystal seated on her wheelchair, staring blankly at him. Green held her gaze for a few seconds before he stepped away from the doorway. Emerald gently pushed the wheelchair into the room and parked it in front of Green's desk. As Green sat down on his chair, Crystal gave a hand signal to Emerald, telling him to leave. The Hoenn Dex Holder complied and silently closed the door on his way out.

"Sorry, Crystal," Green said quietly once he was completely alone with the girl. "But I couldn't let the others fall into the same situation as I am."

"… I know," Crystal replied equally quietly. "I… thought about what you said, and my reaction to it. I'm sorry. I know you didn't have any ill intentions. And I understand why you said it. But that's why I'm here right now. No one should be in the same state as you, including you."

Green silently stared at his junior for several seconds. He could see that the girl's eyes were slightly red, presumably from crying. He assumed that his eyes would be a little red as well. But either Crystal didn't care about that, or his eyes showed no difference than usual. Green contemplated whether he should just ask the girl to leave. Even though he welcomed Crystal's company, he didn't want to have to comfort her again. Every time she tried to talk to him about Blue's death, she ended up crying, and right now, Green wasn't in the mood to calm her down. But the girl seemed determined.

"You won't accomplish anything," Green said at last. "You're trying to do what White tried before her death. And you've already tried it many times afterwards."

"I know. But this time, I'm trying something different." With a slight sigh, Crystal reached into her bag and took out a folded piece of paper. She kept her eyes on it for a few seconds before she reluctantly gave it to Green. "This is… _his_ letter to me," she said slowly and quietly. "He… left this by my bedside before… he…" Again, Green could see tears welling in Crystal's eyes. But unlike all the other times, the girl bit her lower lip and forced the tears away. "Maybe if you read it, you'll understand what I'm going through. And similarly, if I hear what Blue's message was, I'll be able to help you better. For everyone's sake, I need to pick up where White left off."

Green thought for a while before he quietly unfolded Gold's last letter. The details didn't offer any new insight on Gold's sacrifice, as he had already told him when he volunteered to take his place in the battle of Route 1. But Gold seemed to have picked words that would affect Crystal the most in his letter.

Once he finished reading, he folded the letter again and gave it back to Crystal. The girl took it and stared at it for a short while before putting it away. She then looked at Green expectantly. Green avoided eye contact and stared at the sound recorder on his desk. Having made up his mind, he played Blue's last message from the beginning.

Crystal silently listened to all of Blue's last message. Green noticed that the Johto Dex Holder showed far less emotions than White did when the Unova Dex Holder heard it. Probably because Crystal was currently suffering from a loss already.

The two Dex Holders remained silent for a few minutes once Blue's message ended. Crystal simply stared at the sound recorder, lost in deep thought. Perhaps she was comparing Blue's death with Gold's and trying to see whose death had a bigger impact. She suddenly shook her head a little.

"I see…" she muttered. She blinked a few times and looked at Green. "I see why you'd think Blue died while hating you. And I can also see that your situation is not any better than mine. Yet the way I've been reacting… it's shameful."

"Not really," Green said. "It's understandable. But what do you think? White tried to tell me that Blue said all these things in longing."

Crystal nodded. "She did. She never hated you. Always remember that. She loved you. Just like how you loved her. She never said it for the same reason you never did. Though I do admit that she could've been a lot clearer with her message. But she was in distress. You have to understand."

Green glanced at the sound recorder. '_Blue was angry at me from our fight the night before her death. She recorded some of her automated messages at that time. When someone's angry, they say whatever comes to mind. And these thoughts aren't bound by any social or rational bounds. These thoughts are the true thoughts of the person. What Blue said… she was completely honest._' He looked at Crystal, who was waiting for his response. '_Crystal, you don't know that I had a fight with her before her death. And you don't know our history as well as I do. My thoughts and my feelings about this matter… You can't judge me on those, just like how I can't judge you on how you're feeling about Gold's sacrifice._'

"Green, you can't dwell on her message for too long," Crystal said once she realized that Green wasn't going to respond. "Your juniors need you to stay calm and collected to get us through the final battle. Me included. So please, rise about this tragedy. I know I will… Some of our juniors look up to me and I won't let them down. Don't let us all down."

Green faked a smile and nodded. "Thanks, Crystal. For talking to me. Now go and comfort our juniors. Make sure they don't end up like us. And let them know that I will get over this soon."

Once Emerald returned and led Crystal away, Green stood in front of the windows and stared at the clear, cloudless, _blue_ sky. Blue always wanted the best for him. But did he always want what was best for her? She had decided that it was best for him if she didn't tell him what exactly she was feeling. Did he wish the same thing for her?

Every time she came to him, he ignored her. He hurt her feelings unconsciously. He really never treated her the way she deserved.

Green let out a long sigh. Perhaps… just perhaps, the best thing for Blue would be if she had never met him at all. She deserved someone much better. He shouldn't have met her. But this was pointless now.

"Sorry, Blue," Green said while still looking at the cloudless sky. "I know you can hear me. Just know that I really do love you. And I do want the best for you, even if it means I suffer. I know I never showed my appreciation for you. I'm sorry. But at least I won't make the same mistake again." He let out another long sigh. "I really miss you. Maybe… maybe I'll see you soon…"

* * *

**Honestly, this chapter's details should have been foreseen. It's based on SA, and it's still a part of Green & Blue. With Blue dead in SA, what moment could possibly be there?**

**Admittedly, this chapter was all over the place. Just like the only other tragedy chapter in SE, SE #004. Perhaps that's not just a coincidence. Oh well. No more tragedies, ever, in the rest of SE. Yay. It's not like there's any space left for that anyways.**

**Next up: the final part of the Green & Blue burst. Hopefully, this burst doesn't take a whole damn year to complete. 4 months between the end of the second Gold & Crystal burst and the start of the Green & Blue one, another 4 months between that start chapter and this chapter. If there's another 4 months between this chapter and the next, that's a whole damn year. Not acceptable! Blame SA/SR/SL/SY. Yes, SY exists. (Advertisement).**


	39. Not-So-Secret Party

**Since I got sick and tired of receiving comments/messages that point out something that I already covered a long, LONG time ago, I have compiled all the covered information and posted it on my profile. This message will appear in the beginning of the updates of all of S-EARLY.**

**This is the third and final part of the Green & Blue burst that started almost a year ago. And for the first time in a year, SE did not take 4 months to update. And this will be the very last Green & Blue of SE, as its final chapter is just ahead.**

**Primary: Green & Blue.**

* * *

Not-So-Secret Party:

November 22, Pallet Town, Kanto, 10 am…

Blue stared through the windows of Prof. Oak's lab, lost in deep thought. Today was Green's birthday. And as always, she was going to plan a party for him.

It was tradition for all 15 Dex Holders to gather for everyone's birthday, and every single time, Blue was the one who planned the party. And knowing this, Green had _evacuated_ from Kanto so that he may avoid the unnecessarily large crowd. Ever the loner, he wanted to spend his birthday alone, quietly. And Blue was not going to let him get his way.

Besides, after that _disastrous_ party last month for Platinum's birthday, in which only half of the Dex Holders knew it was the girl's birthday to start with and the majority of the remainder failed to recognize her preference when it came to presents, Blue was determined to get this one right. Platinum was still sulking over the fact that practically none of her seniors really knew her at all. And Blue could not let something similar happen to Green.

But most of all, she wanted the party to be enjoyable for him. Having too many people was not going to accomplish this. So perhaps the party should be small in scale? Blue shook her head. She'd decide on that _after_ tracking Green down. She came to Professor Oak's lab for that purpose to start with. But no one in the lab knew where he had fled.

Blue left the lab and stared up at the sky, wondering what she could do. She could use that distress button on her necklace to get Green to come find her. But that was for emergencies. She could go to Sabrina and use her mighty psychic powers. But that was risky, as the Saffron Gym Leader didn't exactly like her ever since that… _health_ comment all those years ago. Also that trickery when taking on Lorelei. That crazy psychic lady sure held onto a grudge…

There was a riskless method, though. All Blue needed was something that belonged to Green. She'd then go to Morty in Ecruteak and he could point out where Green was holed up.

Blue sent out her Wigglytuff and headed to Viridian City. She'll need something that belongs to Green. The best place to get it is his Gym. She'd pick the lock, attempt to bypass all the scanners that the Gym Leader had installed just to keep her out. If all that failed… she'll think of something.

…

Blue pressed the final button on the keypad to Green's Gym. The button lit up a little to register the input before it went dark. She put her ear up to the door so that she may hear the locks disengaging on the other side. But apparently, something went wrong.

"SILENT ALARM ACTIVATED," came an automated computer voice from inside the Gym. "COMMENCING LOCKDOWN."

"… That's not right," Blue muttered. "… Did Green change the password? How did he know that I knew what it was?" She crossed her arms and sighed. "This might complicate things."

A thought occurred and Blue took a glance around. No one was nearby. Good. She got her Ditto to Transform into a screwdriver and began to tinker with the doorknob. A minute later, the doorknob loosened and fell off from the door. Blue picked it up and lightly tossed it in the air. Green practically used that particular doorknob every day. So perhaps Morty can use this to track him down. All Blue had to do was put the doorknob back in its slot before Green found out.

…

Morty stared at the _doorknob_ that was placed in front of him. He had never used his powers to locate someone with a doorknob before. Many people came to him for help over the years with various weird items. A shoe, hairclip, TV remote, pants, and even underwear. But a doorknob? That's a new one.

Regardless, the Ecruteak Gym Leader sent out his Pokémon and closed his eyes. Blue waited patiently and counted how many times the two floating Ghost type Pokémon made a full revolution around their trainer.

After 81 full revolutions, Morty opened his eyes. "Okay. Your friend is currently in Violet City."

'_Violet City?_' "Is he staying there, or is he on the move?"

"Staying, by the looks of it."

Blue crossed her arms and took a deep breath as she thought. "Hmm… You wouldn't know what he's doing over there, would you?" Morty shook his head. "And would you know where exactly he is in Violet City?" Again, Morty shook his head. "Okay then. Well, thank you for the help."

…

Violet City, Johto, 1 pm…

…

Blue hopped off her Wigglytuff and returned the Balloon Pokémon. She took a brief scan around her. So Green was holed up somewhere in here. Hmm… He probably wouldn't be at the orphanage, unless he was military-training the orphans, which Crystal definitely wouldn't have allowed.

The Gym? That would make no sense. Why leave his own Gym and go into another one in another region?

The Pokémon Center? … For what purpose? Green wasn't the volunteering type.

Blue slightly frowned as a thought occurred. Crystal's house? But… why there? And if Green was there, where was Crystal?

The Kanto Dex Holder made her mind and quickly jogged towards the orphanage where her junior stayed practically every day. Even if Crystal wasn't there, everyone in there would know where she went. The moment Blue arrived, she knocked on the door without even trying to catch her breath. The door opened and Crystal appeared, looking rather surprised at Blue's presence.

"Blue? What are you doing here?"

Blue looked into her junior's eyes and could see that she was hiding something. "I was told that Green was somewhere in Violet City. Where is he, exactly?"

"Um… and why do you think that I'll know?"

Blue narrowed her eyes. Crystal visibly flinched and took half of a step backwards. Blue advanced by that half-step.

"Crys, don't lie to me. Do you remember that incident in Cherrygrove City?"

Crystal almost jumped in surprise. "H – How do you…"

Blue crossed her arms. "Tell me where Green is right now or the proofs of that incident go _public_ with the other Dex Holders. Particularly Gold."

Crystal groaned. "Oh, this is so unfair… Green forced me to stay quiet about his location and now you're threatening me to tell you where he is… Why can't you two be like Red and just be… nice?"

Blue cleared her throat and pulled out her Pokégear. "Calling Gold in 5…"

"Okay, okay!" Crystal cried out. "Just… don't do anything rash! If that gets out… I'd probably have to retire from being a Dex Holder!"

"Oh, it won't be that bad," Blue said as she put her Pokégear away. "But good. Now start talking."

Crystal let out a long sigh. "… He's… in my house. He said he wanted to spend his birthday quietly. He… kind of kicked me out, which is why I'm going to have to stay here."

Blue grinned. "So he's all alone in your house, huh? That'll make things easier…" Her grin quickly faded. "Give me your Pokégear."

"… Why?"

"Because there's a risk that you'll call him to let him know that I'm coming. And I don't want that to happen. And knowing Green, he won't answer any calls coming from a number that he doesn't know. Such as this orphanage."

Crystal groaned as she surrendered her Pokégear. "Just… don't tell him I told you."

"I won't," Blue said as she turned away. "And Crys, don't even think about returning home until I call you."

"Wait! Don't you need my key?"

Blue let out a laugh. "I don't need keys, remember? Besides, I already have one for your house."

Crystal's mouth dropped open. "What? … How do-"

"Bye!"

The Johto Dex Holder watched her senior walk away before she shut the door and slowly headed back towards the orphans. "… Note to self: _change the lock_."

…

Blue arrived in front of Crystal's house after buying a small chocolate cake. For Green's birthday, sure, but she knew that he wasn't going to eat it at all. So it was mostly for her. Which is why she bought a small one. With the cake in one hand, she reached into her bag with the other to withdraw a bunch of keys attached to the same metal ring.

"Let's see… Red, Green, Yellow, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold, my own house, and… ah, Crys."

She unlocked the front door and entered. The moment she shut the door, she remained perfectly idle and focused on her hearing. As expected, she could hear a faint ruffling sound caused by moving pages of paper. With a grin, she quietly tip-toed towards the source of the sound, which turned out to be the dining table. And also as expected, Green was sitting on one of the chairs, reading research notes.

He turned to look at her, and a small look of surprise came onto his face, as he expected Crystal and not Blue. But his surprise soon faded and he let out a long sigh.

"Crystal told you, huh?" he muttered as he put his research notes away.

"Not saying," Blue said.

Green shook his head. "Of course she told you. Who else knew I was here?" He rose to his feet and walked towards her. "So where's the horde?"

"It's not nice to refer to your friends as "horde"," Blue said. "And they're not here."

"Hm? Why is that?"

"Come on, after that crap of a party last month, don't you think I'll want to make this one right? I know you hate crowds, so this year, your birthday will be to your liking. Horribly quiet and boring. Just you and me."

Green smirked. "Thanks, I suppose."

Blue revealed the small cake she bought. "Happy birthday!"

"… Thanks," Green muttered. "Even though you know I don't like cake."

"I know. It's only for the formality. The cake's for me."

"Figures." Green sat back down on his seat and Blue sat next to him after placing the cake on the table. "So, how's Platinum doing? That party _was_ terrible."

"You know, _I_ planned that party," Blue said with a pout. "You're mean. As always. Anyways, at least Platinum is talking to us again. That's a… start, right? I'm telling you, that girl can hold a grudge." She opened the box of the cake and placed the cake in front of Green. She took a handful of candles and stared at them for a while. "… The candle count keeps increasing…"

Green stared at the candles as well before looking over at Blue. She appeared quite sad. "Blue, you're talking like an old lady. I'm 25 now. And so are you."

Blue looked into his eyes and gave him a rather bitter smile. "… It's been 13 years since I've known you. And… I don't know. Do you care for me at all? Do you like me the way I like you?"

"Why do you ask when you already know the answer?" Green asked. "You've known the answer for years now."

"It's sometimes necessary to hear you say it," Blue said. "I mean, if something happened to me all of a sudden… there's no way for me to know that you really do care for me since you've never said it."

Green took the hint. He reached over and kissed her on the lips. Apparently that wasn't the right hint, as Blue appeared quite surprised. But she didn't really seem to care that he took the wrong hint. It was right in a different way, anyways.

"How's that for a proof?" Green asked once the kiss ended.

Blue cleared her throat as she fought to hide the blush. "Well… um… It's great. Thanks a lot. But… can I hear the proof?"

"Very well then. I love you, Blue. And I really do care for you."

Blue smiled brightly and embraced Green. "Thanks so much! I always wanted to hear it from you."

"So you're happy now?"

Blue nodded. "Of course. Now I want you to be happy. It's your birthday! So if you want me to leave you alone, I will."

Green smiled and put an arm around her shoulders. "No. For today, I want you to stay."

"Well, if you insist." Blue happily put the candles on the cake and lit them. "Now, make a wish!"

The Gym Leader complied and blew out the candles. The girl clapped a few times before she removed the candles.

"So what'd you wish for?" she asked.

Green gave her a warm smile. For once. "That, you'll have to wait to find out."

Blue smiled back and put her hand on top of his. He didn't push it away and instead, gently grabbed it.

"So Green," she started.

"Hm?"

"Can I expect something like this for my next birthday?"

"Who said I was planning your birthday party?"

Blue playfully hit Green on the shoulder. "Don't be like that!"

Green smiled and kissed her again. "Well, if you insist," he started in a half-whisper. "Then I guess I will plan your birthday party. Just the two of us."

"I can't wait."

* * *

**And the last Green & Blue has ended. And with the next chapter's plans already taken, this means there is no slot left available in SE. Such a shame. The new main characters of the BW2 Special arc could've really used a slot. … Oh crap. Spoiler alert. My bad.**

* * *

Post Ending:

Three days later…

"So, Blue," Green said as he approached Blue.

"Hm? What is it?"

"I went over to my Gym the other day and I noticed that… there was no doorknob on the front door. You wouldn't know anything about with that, would you?"

Blue quickly put on an innocent appearance. "Who, me? Nah. Of course not."

Green definitely didn't look convinced. "Uh-huh. And of course you wouldn't know _anything_ about the silent alarm that was triggered three days ago?"

"You're looking at the wrong girl, Green," Blue said nonchalantly. "Why don't you go ask White? She's the one who's been practicing lock-picking these days."

Green shook his head. He knew that Blue was lying. And she probably knew that too. So he'll let it slide. Besides, he now had to think about possible ways to make his door invulnerable to Blue.

The moment Green walked out of the room, Blue groaned and put a hand on her face. She remembered that she had left the doorknob in Ecruteak Gym. She hoped that Morty would not tell Green about her visit. Not that it would really matter. But Blue failed to remember the _other_ crucial thing she forgot. Namely, she forgot to call Crystal. Not to mention the fact that Blue had confiscated Crystal's Pokégear anyways.

…

Many hours later…

…

Crystal stared at the moon in the sky. She checked the time. It was 2:30 am. And Blue hadn't called her through the orphanage yet, meaning she still wasn't allowed to return home. She let out a long sigh as she pulled her knees closer to her chest while sitting on the grass in front of the orphanage. It was cold outside and it even started to snow. Damn late November weather. But Crystal couldn't go back inside the orphanage. All the orphans were asleep and she didn't want to disturb them. The building was quite small. There really wasn't anywhere she could stay in there anyways.

And since she didn't have any money on her and she left her Pokémon back home, she wasn't able to go anywhere else either. And since her Pokégear was confiscated, she couldn't call anyone either. Crystal sighed again and watched her breath rise up towards the sky as a mist.

"… I wonder if I'll be allowed to go home tomorrow…"

* * *

**Next up: the FINAL chapter of SE. Features every single pairing ever to appear in this story. Except Silver & Soul. Soul hasn't existed since SE #029. The main focus will be on Gold & Crystal, to reflect the fact that SE started with that particular pairing. Book ends, so to speak. And this update will NOT take 4 months.**


	40. The Start of Something

**Welcome to the final chapter of SE. This chapter will contain every pairing within SE with the exception of Silver & Soul. No such thing as Soul in this story anymore. … And that did not sound right…**

**Alert: not that it matters anymore, but SE's Age Relations has updated to Edition III… .5. III.5.**

**Fitting for the end of a random compilation, this chapter will have the compilation of all the first kisses of the 6 Dex Holder pairings of SE. Also fitting the story, the main focus will be on Gold & Crystal, to match the fact that SE started with that pairing. And the order will reflect my preference, from least liked pairing to the most.**

**Primary: Gold & Crystal.**

* * *

The Start of Something:

**Red & Yellow…**

"Hey, Yellow!"

"Huh?"

The blonde haired girl glanced over her shoulder and spotted Red running over. With a bright smile, she ran towards him as well.

"Yellow, did you hear the rumor going around with the other Dex Holders?" the Kanto champion asked after a friendly wave.

"No. What rumor?"

"Apparently someone spread the rumor that we've been dating," Red said, failing to notice Yellow starting to blush. As always. "We had dinner together a few times. Is that what you call 'dating'?"

Yellow began to play with the tip of her hair nervously. "Well… um… I don't know. What did Blue say?"

"She just said "about time" and laughed. But I'm curious as to how and why that rumor started." Red looked into Yellow's eyes. "Would you know?"

"Wh – Why ask me?"

"Someone told me that you'd like the idea." Red lowered himself so he could meet Yellow's eye-level. "So… Do you like that idea?"

Yellow couldn't answer. Her cheeks were as bright red as the visible color spectrum would allow.

Red smiled. "Come on, Yellow. Spill it. I know y-"

Yellow somehow summoned up enough courage to quickly reach over and kiss Red, effectively interrupting him. He started to laugh once the girl embarrassedly backed away.

"So you _do_ like that idea!" he said. "Alright then, so I guess we _are_ dating now!"

Yellow looked up at Red again. "Does… does that mean… you're okay with it?"

Red smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

"Great! Thank you, Red!" she shouted happily as she embraced him. "… But who told you that I'd like the idea? Was it Blue?"

Red nodded. "But she wasn't the only one. Blue, Gold, Crys, Ruby, Sapphire, Platinum, White, and even Green told me."

"Wow… was it really that obvious?"

"Apparently. Now I know why Blue keeps saying I'm an idiot."

"But… who started the rumor then? I know I didn't." Yellow looked at Red's face and noticed that he was smiling, but in a way that looked like Blue whenever she was plotting something. "… Did _you_ start it?"

Red looked at her and grinned. "… Yep."

…

**Ruby & Sapphire…**

"How'd I get involved in this…" Ruby muttered as he stared at the battlefield. Somehow, he was dragged into a Double Battle against Gold and Emerald. And of course, Sapphire was his partner.

"My birthday wish, remember?" Sapphire said with a grin. "You said you'd let me do whatever I wanted for my birthday, as long as it was reasonable. You deemed this to be reasonable."

"But did you have to add a stipulation for the losers? What is that stipulation anyways?"

"Blue suggested it," Sapphire said. "The losing team has to kiss."

"Wait, what?" Ruby said in disbelief.

"Wait, what?!" Gold and Emerald yelled at the same time. The two boys glanced at each other before focusing on the battle. "Oh, hell no! We can't lose!"

"I can't lose either!" Ruby yelled out.

Sapphire glared at him. "What? Am I not good enough for you?!"

"Can't you come up with a _normal_ stipulation?" Ruby argued. "Like… being tossed into the ocean?"

"No! I've been planning this for a while now!"

"So this is your super-genius plan?"

"Yep! It took me many years, but I'll finally find out if you've been lying the whole time!"

"How would you know? I could kiss you but still not like you."

"Well then, I'll just have to wait another year and plan something else!"

"What if I just skipped your birthdays?"

"I live next door from you. You can't ignore me forever!"

Emerald groaned and rolled his eyes. "Would you two just stop flirting in public?!"

"Just get a damn room and work it out!" Gold added. "I'll send you there!"

"What does that even mean?" Sapphire asked.

"You know, go into a room with no one else and you-"

"Too much information!" Emerald yelled out. "Let's just focus on winning this damn thing!"

Sapphire suddenly withdrew her Blaziken. Gold and Emerald took this opportunity to blast Ruby's Swampert.

"You know what this means!" Sapphire said as she grinned at Ruby. Knowing what was going to happen, she quickly took out the length of vine she always carried around in her bag. As expected, Ruby returned his Swampert and started to run like hell. "The hell you do!" With the vine, she dragged the fleeing Dex Holder back towards her and then tied his legs together.

"Sapphire, what are you doing?"

Sapphire pushed Ruby down to the _dirty_ ground. He couldn't get up now that his legs were tied together. The girl grinned and jumped on top of him.

"You know what's coming!"

Gold and Emerald both turned away.

"I don't need to see this! Too much information!" Emerald yelled out.

"And I told you to get a damn room!" Gold yelled as well. "Public indecency, I tell you! … Speaking of which, I wonder how Crys is doing…"

Sapphire watched Gold and Emerald walk away before turning her attention to Ruby. "Ready?"

Ruby shrugged. "Sure."

Sapphire crossed her arms. "You're suddenly calm about this? You were struggling _pretty_ hard until now."

"Considering how I'm lying on the horribly dirty ground with my newly washed clothes, with my legs tied, and a girl sitting on top of me in the _middle of a route_ in broad daylight, the last thing I want to do is drag this out." Ruby then smiled at her in a way that made her blush. "Besides, kissing a pretty girl like you to get out of this situation isn't bad. It's like hitting two birds with one stone, really."

"Oh, now you're just feigning interest to get out of this situation," Sapphire said with a half-pout. "And flattery doesn't convince me, pal. You know what? I don't think I'll let you kiss me quite yet. Not until you can prove that you really do like me."

"Oh, come on, Sapphire. Just let me up and I'll kiss you then."

"No."

"… I think something's moving under my back. … Yep. Something's _definitely_ moving. Let me up! Let me up! Let me up!"

"No! No! No!"

"Please let me up? I'll kiss you once every week!"

"And I have any guarantees?"

"You know where I live. You'll kill me in my sleep if I don't keep this promise… extenuating circumstances aside, that is."

Sapphire looked away and thought for a few seconds while Ruby kept squirming. "… Alright. But I'll beat your ass if this is a lie."

"… That sounded wrong, especially given the context."

"… I noticed."

Sapphire got off of Ruby and then pulled him off the ground by the collar of his shirt, much to his dismay. He complained about his stylish shirt being stretched out while she untied the vine binding his legs together.

"Now," Ruby started the moment Sapphire finished untying. "The only thing left to do is… run!"

"You son of a-"

Ruby didn't run though. He took one step before turning to face her again with a smile. "I'm just kidding. I'll keep my word, starting today."

Sapphire crossed her arms. "Really? For a second there, I really was thinking of ways to kill-"

Ruby leaned in and kissed her on the lips. An act that actually surprised her. But she enjoyed it.

"… Wow… Thanks," she said as she blushed. "So… I guess that was my first kiss?"

Ruby smirked. "That has got to be the weirdest first kiss in history. Not that it was bad, mind you."

"How about… we change this into a daily thing?" Sapphire suggested nervously.

"Sure, why not," Ruby said with a warm smile. "We can have our first official date tomorrow night."

Sapphire slightly narrowed her eyes. "Wait, why are you so eager about this all of a sudden? You spent _years_ avoiding this topic."

Ruby let out a short laugh. "If I told you I liked you from the beginning, you wouldn't have tried so hard to get me to love you, now would you?" He then gave her a wink that made her slightly weak in the knees before he started to walk away.

Sapphire smiled brightly and followed. "Ruby, you devious jerk…"

…

**Green & Blue…**

"How are you doing, Blue?"

"It feels like my brain is trying to split into two, so… you tell me."

Blue was currently lying on a couch in Green's house while the Gym Leader sat on a chair right beside. The girl kept an ice pack on her forehead in an attempt to alleviate the terrible headache she was experiencing.

"What'd you do this time?" Green asked. "Did you spin around one too many times, or what?"

"No," Blue groaned out. "I think it has something to do with falling into a coma, waking up in like a day and not taking any time to rest and recover before being turned into a rock."

"But it's been two weeks since we returned to normal. Why now?"

"I don't know…"

Green looked at her pained expression for a few seconds. "Need some painkiller medicine?"

Blue lightly shook her head. "No. I don't think I can even sit up to take the pills." She let out a pained groan. "… I feel like death…"

"Huh?"

"Something tells me I'm going to die here…"

Green let out a short sigh. "Blue, stop being such a baby. You'll be fine. Everyone has a headache every now and then. I tend to get one whenever you barge into my house."

Blue painfully turned to look at him. "Is that what you're going to say to a friend who's about to die?"

"Of course not," Green answered. "I say this to someone who's just overreacting."

"… Can you be honest with me just this once?" she asked. "And listen to my last words?"

"You're really believing that you're about to die, huh?"

"Please, Green. One last time… It's something I wanted to ask you for years now."

Green let out a sigh. "Alright, fine. I'll play along. What do you want?"

"… Every time I saw you over the years, you called me annoying. Red treats me very nicely, like a friend. But you… never did. … Do you think of me as a friend?"

"Of course I do. Is this what's been bothering you for years?"

Blue managed to nod. "You always called me annoying. Pesky. You say that I talk too much, that I interfere too much in other people's business. You never said one good thing to me."

Green didn't answer as he thought about how he treated Blue on a regular basis. Seeing his reaction, Blue continued.

"I really do value our friendship. I don't know if you do. Sometimes, I just feel like… going away. You're always cold to me and I don't want that. You always tell me to go away… do you really hate me like that?"

Green shook his head. "Blue, stop talking. You know that's not true. Have I ever insulted you over the years? Have I ever actively pushed you away?"

Blue closed her eyes as tears started to well in them. "… I just want to hear something nice from you… Is that too much to ask?" With much effort, she turned her body away from Green. "… I guess it is. I envy Crys. Gold compliments her so much. Even though the compliments are not entirely appropriate. She pretends that she doesn't like them, but I know she's happy." She let out a long sigh. "… I'll never be happy. Apparently I'm destined to die unhappy."

"Are you done?" Green asked.

"No," Blue answered. "You can't expect to release frustration and sadness built up for 12 years in a minute."

"You know, for someone who supposedly has a fatal headache, you're talking quite a lot. See, when people have a headache, they usually don't like to talk," Green commented. He smirked when he saw Blue visibly flinch. "But I understand what you mean, and I'm sorry. I do think of you as a friend. A close one, at that. And you'll probably never hear me say this again, so pay attention. I appreciate your company, even though I may occasionally tell you to go away."

Blue slowly turned to look at him again. "That's… better? So you do care about me?"

"Of course."

"Can you just say it for me?" she begged rather quietly, as if she really was about to die.

"Why? You already know."

"Please, Green," Blue said. "I'm going to die. I just… want to hear it… before I d-"

Green decided to cut this whole "dying" act short by giving her what she wanted. He pulled Blue a little closer and kissed her on her soft lips. He even held her hands while doing so.

Blue slowly closed her eyes as she enjoyed her first kiss. Green soon felt her grip on his hand loosen until she suddenly went limp. He quickly pulled back and looked at her expression. For a second, he was actually worried that Blue might be really dead.

"… You're not actually dead, are you?"

Blue didn't answer. So Green poked her on the side and lightly tickled her. "Of course not," she finally answered, unable to withstand the tickle torture. "I got what I wanted from this performance."

"You don't really have a headache, do you?"

Blue grinned as she opened her eyes. "Nope. Why would I get a headache from that coma and being turned into stone over two weeks after returning to normal?"

"Figures…" Green muttered as he shook his head.

"But I meant what I said," Blue said rather seriously.

Green nodded. "I know. So did I."

"Thanks." Blue sat up with ease and put the ice pack down. "Ow, my forehead is like… frozen solid now. I wouldn't be surprised if I get an actual headache from this." But she still smiled as she looked at Green. "So… I assume you won't be saying anything nice to me again?"

"I still might," Green said as he stood up. "As long as you don't try to trick me again like this."

"I only promise to try."

"Good enough." Green reached down and kissed Blue again. "Now, I need to return to work. Feel free to drop by whenever you want. Not that you don't to start with."

…

**Bonus!**

Aspertia City, 9 pm…

All the dorm room doors looked the damn same. He thought the female dorms were different, but apparently not. Figures. Identical features, just like uniforms. Of course, _she_ would know all about that. Hugh checked the piece of paper he had in his hand. Room number 345. That was his target.

The moment he arrived in front of the door, he promptly kicked it open. He immediately spotted a girl he never saw before kissing a boy he also never saw before. Both the girl and the boy looked over at him in surprise.

"… Oops. Wrong door. My bad," Hugh muttered as he awkwardly proceeded to close the door again. "I saw nothing, by the way."

He closed the door, ignored the fact that it was still broken, and checked his sheet of paper. Damn, the 3 at the end looked like a 5. The room was 343. He moved down to the next door, and kicked that one open. Again, wrong door. Damn. That first 5 looked like a 3. So the _real_ room was 543. Stupid messy writing…

Hugh quickly climbed two floors after apologizing countless times to the people he disturbed. Hoping that he got the right door this time, he kicked open the door to room 543. Yep. He got the right door this time. Third time's the charm, apparently.

He spotted her sitting on her desk, looking over at his direction in shock. She seemed to have understood the situation based on his expression.

"Hugh…" she muttered. She started to tremble and her eyes were wide open in terror.

Hugh ignored her. He needed proof first. He didn't really believe what he knew. Not yet. He looked around the room first. He clenched his teeth and his hands into fists when he saw the girl's open closet. There was a Team Plasma uniform in there.

"Hugh," the girl said again, trying her best to calm him down. "L – Listen to me…"

Hugh turned to glare at her. "… Faitsu… you… You're Plasma?"

"I know you hate Team Plasma," the girl stammered out. "But listen, I-"

Hugh didn't listen to her. He stepped towards her and lifted her up to her feet by the collar of her shirt.

"Where's my sister's Purrloin?!" he demanded in anger. "Where?!"

"I – I don't know!" Faitsu cried out.

"Liar! Where is it?!"

"I – I told you, I-" the girl was interrupted by a strike across her cheek. "Ah!"

Hugh gritted his teeth as he now held the girl by her throat. "Now I see why you kept defending Team Plasma whenever we talked…"

Faitsu looked into Hugh's eyes and saw the burning hatred. She clenched her eyes shut and braced herself. There was no point in talking anymore. She knew that Hugh was always a bit on the reckless side, especially when compared to _him_. But right now, he had his irrational anger. Talking wasn't going to accomplish anything except give him a reason to hit her again.

…

"Hey! Rakutsu! Help!"

"Hm?"

Rakutsu glanced over and saw one of his classmates hastily running over towards him. The classmate looked quite panicked.

"You need to stop Hugh!"

"Huh?"

The classmate took a few seconds to catch his breath. "He's gone crazy! He charged over to the girls' dorm to find Faitsu! He says he has proof that she's a part of Team Plasma!"

Rakutsu blinked. "…Oh, no…" He quickly ran towards the girls' dorm. If Faitsu really was a part of Team Plasma… damn. Of course, he already read the reports. He just didn't want to believe it.

…

When Rakutsu arrived at Faitsu's room, Hugh was still in the middle of his rage-interrogation. He still looked enraged, even though he already seemed to have destroyed most of everything in the room. Faitsu was on her knees, her cheeks bruised and bleeding a little from the mouth.

"Tell me who has my sister's Purrloin!" Hugh demanded.

Faitsu didn't say anything. She still had her eyes shut. When she felt his fist rise, she visibly flinched and moved her arms to protect herself. Rakutsu quickly grabbed onto Hugh's arm.

"Stop!" he yelled. "She doesn't know!"

"You can't trust Team Plasma!" Hugh yelled angrily.

Rakutsu glanced around and spotted the Team Plasma uniform belonging to the girl. He looked over at Faitsu, who had opened her eyes but was avoiding eye contact with him.

"… Still, she's our friend, Hugh. We've known her for a few months now. She has no ill intention towards anyone."

"Intention? Some of the world's worst decisions are made with the best intentions! She may not have been directly involved, but she's still Plasma! I'll never forgive anyone in that group!"

"Hugh, I'll take care of this," Rakutsu said. "You're just going to make everything worse. If teacher Cheren finds out about this, you're doomed."

"That's not important!" Hugh then glared at Rakutsu. "Besides, how can you trust someone who's been hiding her true identity this whole time?!"

Rakutsu let out a long sigh. "Bloody hell. What makes you think that she's the only one?" he muttered quietly. Both Hugh and Faitsu looked at him in shock. Rakutsu sighed again as he took out his proof of identity. "You're making my job quite difficult, Hugh. But I am _ordering_ you to back off and let me handle this."

Hugh looked at the proof of identity Rakutsu was holding over his face. "… International Police? … Seriously?"

Faitsu quickly looked away and put her hands over her face. Rakutsu put his ID away.

"Yeah. Just don't… tell anyone, alright? If people find out, they'll all stay away from me. I would be fine with that, but if all the girls stay away me too, then we have a problem." He grabbed Faitsu by her hand and pulled her up to her feet. "Now then. I'll go take care of this. Hugh, you… uh… I don't know. Hide in your room? You need to be able to deny the fact that you were here kicking down doors. Not helping your case if you… you know, stay right here."

Rakutsu then proceeded to drag Faitsu out of the room and towards the closest elevator. Luckily for him, there wasn't a crowd gathered outside the room. Only a small handful of girls seemed to wonder what the ruckus was about. But they all quickly scattered away when Rakutsu told them to. They must've heard of his identity now. Damn.

In the elevator, Faitsu kept her eyes on the floor while facing away from Rakutsu. He looked at her expression, trying to see what she was feeling right now.

"So…" he started in an effort to end the horribly awkward silence. "… Do you ever notice that no matter what direction you're going, no matter who you're with and where, elevator rides are always dreadfully awkward?"

Faitsu still didn't say anything. The dreadfully awkward silence continued. She took a glance at him once during the ride. She always thought he was charming. And a little flirty. But right now, he looked quite intimidating. He didn't seem like the Rakutsu she knew. Then again, she supposed that she never really knew him at all.

Rakutsu took her to Aspertia Outlook. He set her down on one of the benches while he leaned over the railing to look at the darkened Route 19. He couldn't see crap thanks to the no-sun problem. And the moon was covered by clouds. But still, he looked ahead, staring at the only street lamp in Route 19.

"… Why didn't you tell me?" he asked after a minute of silence.

"… The same reason why you didn't tell me," Faitsu replied at last.

"Why did you come to this school?"

"… So I could have a normal life outside Team Plasma."

Rakutsu sighed and slammed a fist onto the handrail. "Why did it have to be you? Why you? Why not one of those other girls? I came to this school because I heard that a Team Plasma member would be attending it. Why did that member have to be you?! I wouldn't have any problems if Ruri was a Plasma member. But why you?!"

"I'm so sorry. I didn't think this could happen."

"I always thought you were a good friend. … Why is it you?! Damn it!"

"… Are you going to arrest me?"

Rakutsu let out another explosive sigh. "… Yes. I have no choice." He slowly turned around, half expecting Faitsu to be gone. But she was standing behind him, with her arms stretched towards him, just waiting for him to handcuff her wrists. Damn it, she should've run.

"For whatever it's worth," she muttered quietly. "I'm sorry this had to happen. I always thought you were a great friend as well. And tell Hugh that I really don't know anything about his sister's Purrloin. I don't blame him at all for what happened tonight."

Rakutsu stared at her wrists, but didn't do anything. "Damn it…"

"Just hurry. You said you have no choice. I don't want to give you any more problems."

"I… really have no choice," he muttered. He looked at her and noticed the tears welling in her eyes. She could see the tears in his eyes as well and looked down in shame. "… No…"

Faitsu perked up. "What?"

"No. I'm not going to arrest you."

"Why not?"

"I just… can't." Rakutsu sighed again and gently held onto her hands. "Listen. I don't know how much you know about Team Plasma. Right now, we have to arrest all of you. But reports say that there are two distinct Team Plasma factions. One behaves exactly like the Team Plasma from two years ago. The other opposes them and supports the right ideals. I don't know the exact details, and I don't know which faction you are. So go. The only way you'll escape imprisonment is if you are really a part of the good Team Plasma. If not… please don't get caught by me. If you get caught again, there really is nothing I can do for you." He then took out his wallet and gave her all the money he had. "Here. Not sure if you need this or not, but it can't hurt."

Faitsu took the money with trembling hands. She wiped away the forming tears and bowed to him in gratitude. "… Thank you. Thank you so much. I won't ever forget this."

She looked into his eyes for a split second before she started to climb down the stairs. Rakutsu sadly watched her move farther away.

"Goodbye, Faitsu," he said. "Even if you are a part of the good Team Plasma, we will not meet again. I can't see you again. I'm ignoring my orders right now by releasing you. I will probably be reassigned elsewhere for this. So take good care of yourself."

Faitsu suddenly stopped and began to run up the stairs again. Rakutsu watched her in disbelief. Before he even knew what to say, she was standing in front of him once more.

"What are you doing?" he asked. "Run! Get out of here before it's t-" Rakutsu was cut off by Faitsu suddenly pressing her lips onto his for a kiss. Even when she backed away again, he remained frozen, simply blinking repeatedly with a blank look.

"This isn't goodbye," Faitsu said in a half-whisper, looking into his eyes with her watery blue ones. "We'll meet again. I promise. And when we do, I'll repay this debt."

She smiled at him for a short moment before she ran down the stairs again. Rakutsu watched her once again, but with a smile this time. He kept his eyes on her as she headed towards Route 19. She occasionally glanced back at the Outlook as she ran, as if she really didn't want to go. But eventually, she disappeared from his sight.

"… I'll look forward to that meeting, then," Rakutsu muttered. "With a bouquet of Gracidea Flowers, no less. … If I can afford it now. We'll see."

…

**Black & White…**

White stared at the one thing she hated most. Ferris wheel. She didn't know why though. She knew about N's childhood and his past. Even her Tepig had returned. Technically. She now had no reason to hate the Ferris wheel, but she hated it anyways. It was irrational. So she asked Black about it, after somehow coming to the conclusion that an irrationally reckless person would have the answers to irrational things. Turns out, he hadn't a clue. Damn. Well, it was a stupid theory, anyways. Pretty irrational. So it was irrational to ask an irrational person about irrational perks. … Huh. Who would've figured.

"Come on, Miss President," Black said from the side, snapping White out of her thoughts. "You can't stand in front of this thing forever. There's a line behind us."

White glanced backwards and saw a line of impatient looking couples, tapping their feet against the ground in frustration.

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"I promise you won't fall off this time," Black said. "I'll catch you if you do. But you won't."

"Yeah…"

The two Unova Dex Holders entered the Ferris wheel and took their seats. Black sat beside White so that he may be able to comfort her. If necessary.

As the Ferris wheel car started to rise into the air, Black felt White starting to tense. He looked at her and noticed that she had her eyes shut and was clenching her fists and teeth.

"You okay, Miss President?"

White quickly opened her eyes. "Y – Yeah… I was just… reminded of… _that_ incident."

Black glanced out through the window. "So… Is this the height where you fell off?"

White looked outside the Ferris wheel car. "No. It was a little higher. Above the street lamps."

"Wow. That's quite a fall. Are you alright?"

White managed to smile as she looked over at Black. "Well… I wasn't back then, but yeah. I'm fine now. It was over a year ago."

Black rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly. "Oh, right. Hehehe…"

As the Ferris wheel car reached half of the maximum height, White began to shake as the memories returned. Black saw her shake and grabbed onto her hand.

"It's okay, Miss President," he said nicely.

"Thanks. I feel much better just knowing that you're here," White said timidly. She felt quite embarrassed for being so honest, but Black didn't seem to notice.

Within a couple of minutes, the Ferris wheel reached the maximum height and stopped. Both Unova Dex Holders looked through the windows to see the sights.

"So… this is quite nice, huh?" Black said. "Nothing bad is happening."

White smiled as she saw the spectacular sight of nighttime Nimbasa. "Yeah… it's so beautiful. I was really… sad that I couldn't come here to see this sight before." She let out a content sigh and rested her head against Black's shoulder. "Thank you so much for coming here with me."

Black blushed a little and leaned his head a little against hers. "You're welcome, Miss President. Any time you need me, you know I'll be there to help you."

"Black, do you… like me?" White asked all of a sudden.

"Wh – Why do you ask?"

"You take care of me so much, you know? I really like you, Black. And I was just curious."

"Well, Miss President," Black stammered out. "I really do l-"

Just as he spoke, he turned to look at White. The girl was turning to look at him at the same time. And before either Unova Dex Holder knew what was about to happen, their lips met in a completely accidental kiss. Both Dex Holders immediately pulled back in embarrassment at first, but just as quickly, leaned forward once again for a proper kiss this time.

The two remained kissing each other until the Ferris wheel car stopped at the bottom. The two Dex Holders got off the Ferris wheel while still holding each other's hand, looking perfectly happy.

"Thank you so much for tonight, Black," White said after a content sigh. "I really had fun."

"Me too," Black said.

"So can we do this again tomorrow?" White asked rather sheepishly.

Black grinned. "Why wait until tomorrow? Let's go again right now!"

He dragged White back towards the Ferris wheel and entered the Ferris wheel car again, thereby cutting in front of everyone who was waiting in line. White simply giggled in joy and took her seat next to Black. The two Unova Dex Holders looked at each other and smiled when the Ferris wheel started to move again.

…

**Diamond & Platinum…**

"They say that a first kiss is always in the middle of a sentence."

Blue said that to Platinum at one point. And ever since then, the heiress was nervous whenever she was around Diamond. Sure, she loved him. And he loved her. But both Sinnoh Dex Holders were afraid to express their feelings. With Blue's 'advice' in mind, Platinum couldn't quite decide if she wanted to talk in front of Diamond.

If a first kiss is always in the middle of a sentence, does that mean she should constantly talk in order to 'prompt' Diamond to kiss her?

According to Blue, yes. Apparently, when a girl talks nonstop, most guys would want to shut her up by kissing her. But Platinum knew that Diamond wasn't that type. Knowing him, he'd wait forever until she stopped talking on her own. If Diamond kissed her then, wouldn't that technically mean that the kiss wasn't really a first kiss? Then again, that claim was binary. It was either true or false, with nothing in between. If there was a single counter-proof, then that statement would be mathematically false. And Platinum had no intention of being that counter-proof.

So, if Diamond wasn't going to ever interrupt her with a kiss, did that mean she had to do it to him? That would be very hard. Platinum didn't think that she would be able to kiss him first. Even just thinking about it would turn her into a nervous wreck. And Diamond was very good at detecting emotions. If he realized what she was going to do, he'd stop talking and she'd become that counter-proof.

Drat.

Platinum quickly shook away the thoughts without physically shaking her head. Diamond was looking at her right now. And he wasn't talking. He seemed to be waiting for her reaction. Maybe an answer to a question. And since the heiress hadn't been paying _any_ attention to what he was saying, she hadn't a clue how to respond. So she would just be honest.

"I – I am terribly sorry, Diamond, but I was lost in thought. Could you repeat what you were saying?"

Diamond smiled. "I was just asking why you looked so nervous. Relax, Lady. What were you thinking about?"

"It was something senior Blue had told me," Platinum answered. "And… I really do not know what to make of it."

"Oh. What did she say?"

Platinum started to blush. "Well… um… It is not easy to say…" She sheepishly looked into Diamond's eyes. '_Should I kiss him when he starts to talk?_'

"If you need my help in anything, you know you can rely on me, Lady," Diamond said with a smile. "If something's bothering you, I will always try my b-"

Platinum took a deep breath. '_As senior Gold would say, the hell with it!_' She was about to reach over and interrupt-kiss Diamond. But sadly, she couldn't summon enough courage. '_Ah, no! I – I cannot do it!_'

"-est to help you in any way," Diamond finished.

The heiress took a nervous gulp. '_I have no choice. I have to wait for Diamond to kiss me. Which means, I will continue to talk so that he may interrupt me. I wish I had enough courage, but I do not. I can only hope that Diamond has more. Until he kisses me, I shall continue talking. What did senior Sapphire call it? Random babbling? Or was it random blabbing?_' "I know I can always rely on you, Diamond," she said with a smile. "And I hope that it will never change."

"It won't."

"Oh Diamond, did you hear that senior Red and senior Yellow have finally gone for a dinner date?"

Platinum started by mentioning her seniors going on dates. It was a good way to prompt Diamond to focus on his relationship with her. And he probably already heard about what she was going to tell him, so he wouldn't be overly interested. If she talked about something else, there was a risk that Diamond would be too interested in listening and completely forget about kissing her. That would be very sad.

Diamond occasionally glanced into the distance while listening to Platinum ramble. Something definitely felt a little odd. For one, the heiress seemed extremely nervous a few moments ago. And now, she was talking about her seniors going out on dates even though _every_ Dex Holder knew about them already. And she was talking nonstop. She was talking so quickly and without stopping that he found it surprising that she wasn't experiencing lack of air.

For the first time ever, he found that listening to her talk was… boring. So he glanced into the distance to see if there was anything interesting going on. And maybe Platinum would get the hint and say something interesting. But apparently she didn't notice, as she still rambled on about something not remotely interesting. Something about peach farming. How the topic changed from senior Dex Holders going on dates to peach farming, Diamond would never know.

As Diamond half-listened to Platinum's gibbering, a thought suddenly occurred. The heiress wasn't _randomly_ blabbing. She first talked about her seniors going out on dates. She then talked about peach farming and that she wanted to go alone with him. And right now, she was babbling about an incredibly fancy restaurant and that she wanted to go there with him. So she was aiming for something…

He wanted to find out what. But she was not shutting up anytime soon. So he had to interrupt her in a way that wasn't rude.

So he did the first thing that came to mind. He reached over and kissed her soft lips, effectively shutting her up. The heiress seemed pleasantly surprised.

"Th – Thank you, Diamond," she stammered out afterwards, her cheeks flushed red. "I – I have been… um… _waiting_ for you to do that."

"Really?"

Platinum nodded. "I… um… I love you, Diamond. And I know that you love me too. Senior Blue told me that a first kiss always occurs in the middle of a sentence. Even though it is very easy for that statement to be mathematically false, I am glad that our case will not be a counter-proof. I was worried that you would not interrupt me, which was why I was trying to be as least interesting as I could manage."

"Oh. Well… thanks, I guess?" Diamond muttered. "I really love you, Lady. I always have. I just… couldn't express my feelings. I'm really glad that you love me too."

Platinum gave her friend a quick embrace. "Now that our feelings are in the open… would you like to accompany me for dinner? In the lavish restaurant of Hearthome City?"

"I'd be glad to."

…

**Gold & Crystal…**

"Alright Gold, you lost again. So you know what this means."

Gold grumbled but still knelt on the ground in front of Crystal and bowed. "Oh, please tell me your order, Miss Crystal."

Crystal grinned as she crossed her arms. "Hmm… okay. I want you to buy and deliver a fancy lunch for the orphans in Earl's Academy today."

"… It will be done!"

…

A few hours later…

…

Gold slammed a game board on the table in front of Crystal. "Alright Super Serious Gal, let's go again!"

Crystal looked up from the book she was reading. "Again?"

"Yeah! I'm not going to lose this time!"

Crystal let out a short laugh and set the book down after marking her place with a bookmark. "Alright, Gold. I'll play along."

…

"Damn it!" Gold yelled out.

"There. Completely annihilated for the 4th time in a row," Crystal said with a smirk. "You know what this means."

Again, Gold grumbled but bowed in front of Crystal to receive her order. This time, he had to deliver dinner to everyone working in Professor Oak's lab.

Gold came back again, just as Crystal was about to return home for the night. With a sigh, she played the board game against him once more. And again, won. And this time, she ordered him to prepare her breakfast in the morning.

Next day, after eating the surprisingly wonderful breakfast prepared by Gold, Crystal headed towards the Pokémon Center, where she was supposed to meet Platinum. The heiress was going to volunteer at the orphanage occasionally, and Crystal was going to tell her what to do. And Gold, being incredibly stubborn, followed her.

"Hello, senior Crystal," Platinum said with a bow the moment her senior entered the Pokémon Center.

"Hi, Platinum, nice to see you," Crystal said with a wave.

"Senior Gold?" the heiress muttered upon spotting Gold enter as well.

"Hey," Gold said with a short wave. He them immediately focused on Crystal. "Alright Super Serious Gal, let's go at it again! I'm going to win this time!"

Crystal let out a sigh. "Gold… seriously?"

"Come on! What are you waiting for? Let's do it!"

"You lost like… seven times in a row. What makes you think you'll win this time?"

"It was five times, for your information! And I'm not going to give up!"

Platinum looked back and forth between her two Johto seniors. "Um… what is happening?"

Crystal shook her head and looked over at her junior. "Gold is making the same bet again and again. If he wins, I have to take him to a dinner date and kiss him at the end. If I win, he has to do whatever I tell him to. He lost five times straight, but… well, you know Gold. He never gives up."

"So why don't you give up?" Gold asked her. "I'll come back no matter how many times I lose!"

"Because, Gold, I want my first kiss with someone mature and handsome. Not someone like you," Crystal answered. "Besides, I'm too busy to go on a din-"

Gold quickly reached over and kissed Crystal on the lips. She tried to push him away, but Gold forced her hands still. Eventually she stopped struggling.

"There, now you have one less reason to go on this dinner date with me," Gold said with a grin afterwards.

A mix of emotions appeared on Crystal's face. She looked quite upset for having her space violated, but at the same time, she appeared happy and pleasantly surprised.

"You… you jerk!" she growled out eventually, trying to sound very angry. "You know what? Fine! I'll take you on again. And if I win, I'm going to order you to stay away from me for a month!"

"Bring it on!"

Platinum watched nervously as her two seniors started to play the board game in front of her. She didn't want her two seniors to fight. She really didn't want them to separate either. So she decided to intervene. She watched the board game progress. Each time Gold was about to do something stupid and/or make a wrong move, Platinum pressed her foot onto Gold's from underneath the table. Gold would then understand and put the game piece back down.

Crystal frowned. She found it surprising that Gold wasn't being a reckless idiot in the game. But because she was partially distracted by that sudden first kiss, she failed to suspect Platinum of anything.

Crystal couldn't focus on the game. That sudden kiss was… very distracting. '_My first kiss… I wanted it with someone very handsome, smart, kind and… mature. Not with Gold… But it wasn't bad. … I guess Gold is kind of good looking. And he is kind when he chooses to be. Only if he was smart and mature…_' A thought occurred and she found herself feeling a little regret. '_Maybe… maybe __**I**__ can fill in the missing brains and maturity in Gold. If I can help him become smarter and more mature, he would become perfect… for me… But knowing Gold, he probably already had a few girlfriends…_'

Thanks to her distraction and Platinum secretly assisting, Gold managed to win the game. Crystal stared at the board in shock. But she wasn't entirely upset. She did cast a suspicious glance at Platinum, who was busy looking innocent and avoiding eye contact.

"… Alright Gold, you win," Crystal admitted. "… I'll go on this date with you. But _you_ better be paying."

"What? Why?"

"Since when did the _girl_ pay for a dinner date?"

"Fine, whatever."

…

Several hours later, Crystal found herself wearing a fancy blue dress and looking at Gold across the table in the most expensive restaurant in Violet City. While Gold was grinning like an idiot, Crystal was still experiencing bits of anger and frustration along with anxiety and anticipation. She was angry because her first kiss was 'stolen', frustrated because Gold really wasn't acting like her ideal date, anxious because of her hopes of having her first date, and anticipation because she believed that Gold could make this dinner date really good.

And although Crystal initially expected Gold to embarrass her in the fancy restaurant, he actually showed quite a lot of manners and did not make an ass of himself. In fact, he was quite charming.

"Wow, Gold," Crystal said halfway through the date. "I must say, you… really impressed me tonight."

Gold grinned. "Well, I did want to make tonight quite special. After all, we did share the first kiss. You were the first one to be kissed by me, and I'm the first one you've ever kissed too. And as such, our first date needs to be special."

"I'm your first kiss?" Crystal asked in surprise. "I thought you… um… dated a whole bunch of other girls."

"Nah. They were all… inferior compared to you."

Gold shuddered at his own comment while Crystal blushed. And following that comment, both Johto Dex Holders temporarily avoided eye contact.

"Um… How come you're… good mannered today? All the other times, you…"

"Once our date was confirmed, I forced Platinum to teach me the basics," Gold answered. "It didn't work out too well, but I guess it was enough."

"So you really… care about me, huh?" Crystal said with an embarrassed smile. "You took so much effort into having this date with me."

"Of course," Gold said. "We're good friends, aren't we? And you know I'm not capable of this mushy stuff, so I really hope I don't have to say it."

Crystal grinned. Of course she had an idea of what Gold was going to say. But she was still going to make him say it. It would… amuse her. And embarrass the crap out of her, probably.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "You don't have to say what?"

"… Don't make me say it, Crys," Gold said with a slight groan. "You'll make fun of me for years to come."

"Oh, come on. It can't be that bad."

Gold grumbled a little. And Crystal smiled. "Alright, let's just say that… Ever since I first saw you," he managed to start. "I… wanted to be _friends_. You can 'upgrade' that comment in your mind."

"Not sure I follow you," Crystal lied.

Gold groaned loudly. "… Just… promise me you won't tell anyone."

"I only promise to try."

Gold let out a long sigh. He then chugged down his glass of water. "Okay. Ever since I saw you, I… … was in love with you," he blurted out quickly and quietly. "And I've been trying to go out with you for years now. And I really care about you."

Again, he shuddered at his own comment while Crystal tried her absolute best to suppress her laughter.

"Wow, thanks, Gold," she said at last. "And… that was really… mushy. Too much, even for you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Gold poured himself another glass of water and chugged it down. "Anyways, I'm surprised that you're not really angry with me. You really looked like you never wanted to see me again."

Crystal shrugged. "I admit, I was a little angry. I wanted to share my first kiss and my first date with someone handsome, smart, kindhearted, and mature. But then again, I do think that two of the categories matched you."

"So 50% was good enough for you?"

Crystal shook her head. "No. But I thought about it. You are a good friend, so I felt you deserved a shot. And besides, you are kind of… good looking and kindhearted. The other two categories may come in time. But in the meantime, I think I'll be happy with how you are right now. And I do appreciate your care. Thanks, Gold."

Gold smiled. "So you don't regret what happened today?"

"Not even a little bit."

* * *

**Note: the "special guest" pairing is obviously… well, rough, compared to the rest. The names are in Japanese (even those who already have actual English names), the personalities are mere extrapolations of the little proofs currently given, and… yeah. This was a necessary practice run for their future appearances. Oh yeah, for those who don't know, Rakutsu is the male player character (PC) of BW2, Faitsu is the female PC, and Ruri is Yancy. Of course, for Rakutsu and Faitsu, given their… occupation, it's entirely possible that their real names are still unknown. Oh yeah, spoiler alert, not that it matters since it's too late.**

**When SE began, there was an experimentation pairing, namely Silver & Soul. Now, at the end of SE, there's another experimentation pairing, namely Rakutsu & Faitsu. Another book-end, so to speak. Don't exactly know why the female PC of HGSS games didn't become a separate character while the male and female PCs of BW2 did, but meh, whatever.**

**Next up: nothing.**

**Goal achieved. SE has finally ended, and before its third anniversary. It was the most neglected story of all of my current ones, yet it was the only story that never disappointed me. It supported the start of all of the other stories, yet became more and more impressive as time passed.**

**Probably no one from the early days of SE is still reading this. After all, when SE started, I didn't have any followers looking for some story based on Pokémon Special.**

**Thank you all so much for following this story, through the 40 chapters and total of 43 one-shots. For those who read the other stories, I will hopefully see you there. For the others, now is as good as a time as any to start.**

**Final note:  
****There will not be an SE2. I did think about it, but a sequel to a random compilation makes no sense. Besides, if I was going to make a sequel, I would've just added that sequel part to SE. Random compilation + random compilation = a bigger random compilation.**

**However, I may make a successor to SE that uses Age Relations Edition V and the decision that follows it. Keep an eye out for that one.**


End file.
